Home Is Where The Heart Is
by CrystalDream
Summary: Danny was an orphan found on the streets when he was just over a year old, and taken in by his guardian. He lives a good life, but as his fifteenth birthday draws near, things start to change. Danny begins to wonder about his real family and his...DXS
1. Changes

**Here it is! Chapter 1 of Home is Where the Heart is. I hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know what you think in your reviews! **

**Also, a big thank you to the lovely Cordria, who is doing the beta reading for this story! **

**Full Summary: **

**Danny was an orphan found on the streets when he was just over a year old, and taken in by his guardian. He lives a good life, but as his fifteenth birthday draws near, things start to change. Danny begins to wonder about his real family and about his life. Why is his guardian so keen on keeping him hidden from the world? Why does he insist that his isolation is to keep him out of danger? Danny feels as though he may never find out. But as unexpected phone calls, strange new powers and multi-billionaires begin to enter the Danny's life, he may be in for more than he's bargained for. DXS**

**Rated T to be safe and for later on, but just so you guys know, there will be no swearing, no slash and no explicit content in this story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Corn Flakes, Starbucks, Danny or any other of the characters from the show Danny Phantom. I _do_ however own Judy, John, and any other characters that I've created.**

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_The tall caped ghost held the photograph in his hands, softly stroking it's surface. He drummed his fingers on the table at which he sat. _

"_The boy has almost reached his fifteenth. According to legend, the transformations should begin to appear soon," the black-haired hybrid muttered to himself as he let his fingers run through the fur of the kitten on his lap. _

"_It's been thirteen years Maddie," he spoke softly to his cat. She purred gently._

"_Thirteen years!" he yelled suddenly, rising from his seat and forcing the cat to leap off his lap in surprise at his sudden outburst. He strolled towards a dresser in the corner of the room. _

"_Thirteen years and I still haven't been able to find the boy! All I know is that he's probably still with that blasted guardian of his," he roared, knocking down the mirror which sat atop the dresser's surface and shattering it to pieces. _

_The cat meowed loudly as she arched her back in fright at the sudden sharp sound. _

_The halfa narrowed his glowing eyes in determination. "I have to find him before it's too late. Even if it's the last thing I do." _

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It seemed that today the sun was feeling very generous. Its rays had decided to pay Danny a special visit in his room, from a couple millions miles away. He tried to shield his eyes in protection from the roaring ball of firethat so wanted him to wake up, but it wasn't the only force working against him. Apparently, he had forgotten to turn the lights off in his room yesterday night again, and John obviously didn't have the time to turn them off for him before going off to work.

Danny tossed and turned in his bed, trying to get back to sleep. It was times like these when he wished he had magic powers so he could just turn his lights off from where he was, with a zap of a finger or something, and then go back to sleep.

_Whatever…it's already 9:30 anyway. I might as well just get up, _he told himself.

Blinking his eyes a few times to clear his vision, he rose from his bedand trudged to the bathroom.

He considered going back to sleep but discarded the thought as he heard a soft growl come from his stomach. Dragging himself to the kitchen and blindly grabbing a blue plastic bowl and spoon from the dishwasher, he began rummaging through the fridge for a carton of milk. Finally finding something that seemed to have a prism-like shape, he took hold of it and poured its contents into the bowl which he brought out to eat on the couch.

Danny turned on the TV and flipped through channels until he found a decent show to watch. He left the remote when he came accross his favorite cartoon. It was about a little ten-year-old boy who had two magical fairies who could grant almost any wish. Sometimes Danny watched the show, secretly wishing he could have his own fairies who would help him find- well…never mind…

Just as he watched Timmy about to wish for an older brother, Danny brought a spoonful of cereal to his lips, and then, suddenly feeling very awake, spat it back into the bowl. Disgusted, he shoved the bowl of what actually turned out to be orange juice with Corn Flakes onto the nearest table, wiping his mouth on his arm and still trying to get over the revulsion.

He propped his elbow on the arm of the couch and let his head rest on his palm. He sighed, feeling depressed. He wasn't always this way, but lately he just seemed so...down. Nothing really mattered to him anymore, and he couldn't really concentrate. He wondered if there was some sort of depression bug going around or something.

Lately, John had been acting weird too… some days he was angry and irritable, and snapped at the smallest of things. Other days he would just drag himself across the one-floor apartment, morose and sulking. Danny couldn't understand why.

John was Danny's guardian. Apparently he had found Danny abandoned somewhere when he was a baby, and had taken him in to live with him. John never said anything more than this and always strayed away from the subject when Danny used to bring it up, (which even in itself wasn't often). Even Judy, John's friend from work who came over frequently, had advised Danny to stay away from that topic around John.

Despite this annoying little 'idiosyncrasy' of his, John was great and Danny loved him like a father or an older brother. He'd taken care of Danny ever since he was a kid and he'd loved him unconditionally. John would do anything and everything for the boy and never once could he be heard complaining. Danny sighed as he turned down the volume on the TV.

But so many things about life with John were…different. Danny wasn't really in a position to judge that, seeing as he didn't know much about the "outside life" as he called it, but something wasn't right. He never went out like other teenagers, unless it was with John, and even then it was rare. He didn't really have friends and he never had anyone to call up and make plans with or hang out with. It was almost like he was always confined and restricted to the apartment for some reason. Sometimes he'd ask if he could go out or something, but John would become very uneasy and even a bit pale, at times. This had _especially_ been prominent in the past few months.

Adding to this, Danny was home-schooled by John **–**who proved to be very smart despite the fact that he worked as a bellhop. Sometimes Judy took over for John if he had to stay late at work. That was another strange thing; Danny was almost never allowed to stay in the apartment alone, and when he _had_ to be alone because John was at work (like right now), he had to obey a series of very strict rules:

_Don't open the door for anyone_

_Don't answer the phone _

_Don't make too much noise _

_Don't go out on the balcony_

_No chat room sites on the computer _

And the list goes on.

So it's plain to see that Danny had a rather mundane daily routine. And today was no different.

Thinking about his monotonously boring life, the boy sighed in frustration as he rose from the couch. He dumped his orange juice in the sink and watched the pulp slowly swim to the drain as the tap water splashed over it. Not even the usual anticipation and excitement of an upcoming birthday could cheer him up. After all, with John being out of the house and Danny being cooped up inside, his fifteenth birthday seemed like it would be just another ordinary Friday.

He sighed again, just wishing something interesting would happen to shake things up a bit.

_Ding!_

The doorbell. Danny's heart jumped. He quickly reached for the remote and put the TV on mute. 

_Ding!_

Impulsively, Danny ran for the door. For a lone and solitary moment, he didn't care what John said and wanted to do something as normal as opening the door. He reached for the doorknob and swished the door open.

"Y-Yes?" he hesitated, now a little uncertain of his sudden and reckless action.

"Hi, I'm Chrissie from Foreth's Beauty School downtown, and I was wondering if you'd like to make a donation for my class' Celebrity Make-up Tour in LA next month?" A perky, bubbly blonde girl, about Danny's age, stood in front of the door. She was wearing a pair of platforms, a colorful outfit, and held in her hand a bubblegum pink clipboard. She spoke quickly and with little articulacy, probably because of the gum she seemed to be chewing. Danny stared at her blankly.

She was evidently getting annoyed from the non-responsive teen she was dealing with, so she asked briskly, "Is your Mom or Dad home?"

"Um, no…sorry, could you come back another time or something?" Danny finally asked.

"Oh…okay. Thank you!" she replied, resuming her animated manner.

As he slowly closed the door, Danny realized something…_Is your Mom or Dad home? _The pleasantly cheery voice echoed in his head.

_No…No, they're not…_Danny thought to himself, his heart sinking into his stomach.

A million thoughts were swirling in his head as he forced himself to sit down on the couch. He knew why he was upset. He finally understood his sudden and reoccurring surges of misery. He understood what the void was…his family. His _real _family. The one he would never knowand was never even offered a chance to talk about or discover.

This sudden dawn of realization made him feel even worse than before. Above that, he started to feel guilty…not guilty because he had disobeyed John's rules despite the fact that he knew it could be dangerous for him, (John had often told him that doing such things could jeopardize his safety, though never was he told why), but guilty because he didn't care. No, not guilty…scared…scared that he didn't care about what John would think. He felt as though so many different changes were taking place, one after the other…

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"Aruisa Hotel, Judy speaking, how may I help you?"

"Judy! It's Danny."

"Danny?" Judy asked, surprised. "What's the matter; is everything okay?" she asked hurriedly.

"Yeah, yeah," he didn't seem to notice the concern in her voice or the relieved sigh on the other side upon his confirmation of safety. "I'm just feeling…down…do you know when John's coming home?" he asked.

"Oh, he'll be home early today, sweetie," she said, her tone soft.

"Okay, thanks Judy," Danny replied. They exchanged goodbyes and Danny hung up the phone, feeling sullen. He didn't know why he'd felt as though he'd needed to call to see what time John was coming home, but at the time it seemed like it might make him feel better. Actually, it made him feel worse.

Danny sighed as he rose from his seat, making for the kitchen. His stomach was starting a riot; he hadn't eaten in eight hours. Just as he opened the refrigerator door to find some food, he heard the sound of a door being unlocked, followed by a half-hearted greeting from John.

"Hey," Danny said, coming out of the small kitchen. In front of him was the man who had cared for him for so long, and both loved and protected him…until now…now he just seemed to want to get rid of him, always moping around the way he was.

He dropped a large tote bag stuffed with his uniform on the floor next to the entrance. He half-smiled at Danny and Danny reluctantly smiled back.

John was tall, and had short but distinctive wavy brown hair and eyes. His trademark was his yellow sportjacket which Judy and Danny had both been pleading him to get rid of for so many years now and were giving up.

"How's it going kiddo?" he asked wearily, heading for the couch. He looked worn out but he tried not to show it. "You ready for some math?" he said, pulling out the math and science curriculum book from under the table, accompanied by a pen and pad.

_Maybe he's just been moody lately because he's been working hard and he's tired… _This thought comforted Danny. 

"Are you sure John? You look really worn out." Danny was actually a little concerned now.

He laughed. "Oh no, you're not getting rid of me that easily! We're having our math lesson now!"

But Danny wasn't joking, he was genuinely worried. He crossed his arms in annoyance to let John know he wasn't kidding.

John sighed. "Don't worry Danny, I'll be fine. See," he said pointing to his Starbucks coffee cup, "As soon as I have some caffeine, I'll be good as new."

Though Danny wanted to, he refrained from protesting. This was the best mood John had been in all week and Danny didn't want to cause trouble. But it did cause a wave of relief to spread over him as he decided that John's moodiness was just stress, and that there was nothing more to it.

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"So, the answer would be negative two," Danny said, concentrating on the numbers on the book.

"No, it would be positive three."

"Ah! So it's……"

"Three."

"Um……"

"Danny!"

"What?"

There was a pause as both of them burst out laughing. Once they could control themselves again they returned to the book, but inevitably found themselves laughing at many more similar situations throughout the hour. Danny felt more relaxed now and the atmosphere was consequently much calmer.

They'd decided to put the books away early today and watch a little TV, maybe relax a little.

"So, did anything interesting happen today?" John asked conversationally while flipping through channels, some faster than others.

"No, but some person from some beauty school or something came by asking for mon-," Danny stopped dead in the middle of his sentence, his eyes widening. He tried to find a way to cover his slip. He hurriedly muttered something about needing water, and got up to leave for the kitchen, but was pulled back down by the hem of his shirt.

"What did you say?" John said.

"Nothing." Danny said, his voice a bit higher than usual.

"Danny, did someone come to the door? Did you open the door for anyone?" he asked harshly.

_Aw man! I try to make sure he stays in a good mood and then this happens? _

"Did you?" John raised his voice a bit.

"Well, maybe just a little…" Danny wavered. "It was an accident!" he lied.

"An accident!?! Look Daniel, you don't know what kind of trouble you're getting yourself into like this! I told you not to do certain things, and you should therefore, **not** do them!" he yelled.

"Look, I'm sorry!" Danny tried.

"Sorry's not good enough!" John's patience was wearing thin…but so was Danny's, unfortunately.

"This is so unfair! You're forbidding me from opening a door! Do you know how insane that is? I can't even go on the balcony without permission! It's so unfair! You haven't even given me solid or concrete reason! I _am _almost fifteen you know!" Danny yelled.

"I shouldn't have to give you a reason! The order itself should be good enough for you!!" John shouted.

"You are completely blowing this out of proportion! I opened a door! It's not like I'm dealing drugs or anything!"

The shouting match continued for quite awhile, until both of them had become quite hoarse. In the end, John simply sent Danny to his room and Danny stomped off, muttering about how he was glad to get away from John.

Sitting in the corner of his bed and sulking, Danny began to actually cry, though very softly. That was the first time he'd _ever _fought with John and it had been so scary because it was so real. It wasn't about wanting a toy or a new game, like when he was a toddler; it was about freedom…liberty…it was about something more valuable than what money could buy.

"Ugh! This is so unfair! I can't stand it!" he screamed, as tears now flowed down his face like a waterfall. His ears felt hot and his stomach was in knots. His breathing had become irregular between sobs. Feeling so helplessly torn, he grabbed a pillow and, with all his might, threw it against the wall.

He felt so confused. It was as though now that he was growing up, things were changing…and he was afraid of change. He didn't want to start fighting with John all the time, and he didn't want to always be worried and upset and stressed out about his real family. Because he knew, even though sometimes change brought out the best in people…it also brought out the worst.

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**Tell me what you think! **

**Crystal**

**PS. For those of you who don't like OC's, this is just to let you know that there will be more canon characters coming in the story soon, so don't worry! ;)**


	2. Complications

**Hey everybody! Here's chapter 2; I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Thanks to all the cool readers who reviewed for the first chapter; they were all awesomely sweet and appreciated comments, and I hope you guys'll like this chappie too! **

**Thanks to:**

**Hordak's Pupil, technogrl15, MutantLover09, KHFREAK14, blondecrazything, cordria and Devilchild93!**

**Enjoy!**

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_The tall caped ghost entered the small musty dungeon. A woman's body lay sprawled on the ground in front of him. He knelt down next to the woman's face and gently brushed a strand of auburn hair off her eyes. _

"_Soon, Maddie. Soon you will see your boy. I promise," he whispered, hardly breathing._

_The woman tilted her head slightly, barely conscious of the man's presence._

"_Your suffering will end soon my love," he murmured._

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Danny woke up late the next day. Tossing and turning in his bed, he caught a glimpse of the clock. Danny was a morning person, so as you can imagine, he felt incredibly guilty to see it was already 11:30.

_Great, like I need anymore guilt right now..._he thought sarcastically.

He wasn't feeling any better than yesterday and would've liked to stay sleeping in his bed forever, but rightly decided he'd better get up before he got too cranky.

As he rose from bed, he caught a glance of a yellow paper on his night table. He picked it up and unfolded it.

_Danny,_

_I'm sorry about yesterday…I was on edge, and I took it out on you. That was wrong. I hope you can forgive me. _

_John_

Danny smiled in spite of himself. Feeling a bit better, he got up and headed for the kitchen. He was starving, seeing as he hadn't eaten anything but a few spoonfuls of cereal the previous day.

"Hi," Danny heard a voice coming from the living room.

Danny jumped back in fright, but then saw the familiar chocolate-brown, curly-haired ponytail and purple glasses.

"Judy? What're you doing here?" he asked, clutching his chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie, did I scare you?" she asked, trying to conceal a small laugh.

"Nah, me? Nah!" Danny responded, quickly removing his hand from his chest, regulating his breathing and trying to act cool.

She giggled. Judy was just a year younger than John and worked as the receptionist at the Aruisa Hotel. She frequently visited the two boys to help out with cooking or sometimes just to keep them company. Her feminine touch was definitely a nice addition to the apartment.

"What are you doing here Jude?" Danny asked, but then quickly added, "I mean, not that I don't want you to be here, it's just that…aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Oh, well I have a day off today, so I thought I'd drop by since you didn't sound too great on the phone yesterday," she explained. "Would you like breakfast? I made some pancakes awhile ago…I could heat them up for you if you'd like."

"Mm, okay…" he said. He appreciated Judy's offer, but started feeling a bit glum again. The moment she'd mentioned that he 'didn't sound so great yesterday', he'd unwillingly remembered the anger he'd wanted to forget.

She smiled and disappeared into the kitchen only to return a few minutes later, preceded by the smell of pancake batter and butter.

Danny thanked her and sat at the table with his fork, picking at the food in the plate in front of him. He was depressed and his appetite had suddenly subsided. Unnoticed by Danny, Judy sat down in the seat across him. "What's the matter, hun?" she asked gently. She bent her head forward so as to see Danny's face, which was inclined over his plate.

He sighed. He had a feeling he shouldn't say anything, but this was absolutely consuming him, and even if he'd managed to fight it out of his mind for a few hours before, the thoughts had now returned.

He started with another sigh, trying to encourage himself to begin. "Well…I've just…Is it wrong?" he let his words fall into a third sigh, as he cupped his hands on his forehead and let his face fall into them.

"Is it what wrong sweetheart?" Judy asked gently, extending her arm and softly touching Danny's.

"Is it wrong of me to wonder…to wonder…about…my parents? My family? Is it wrong of me to wonder about my parents?" Danny repeated hesitantly.

Judy was silent a moment, and then smiled sadly. "No. It's the most normal thing ever, hun. You have every right to wonder."

"Then why does it feel so wrong? It feels like…like I'm-."

"Betraying John?"

Danny looked at her in disbelief. "Yes, that's exactly it."

"And at the same time, you feel like you still have the right to know, but you just don't want to hurt anyone by exercising that right."

"How do you know?" Danny asked, wide-eyed.

"I'm a woman Danny. Females specialize in this sort of thing." The joke did not lighten the mood, as much Danny would have liked it to.

"So, am I? Wrong, I mean…am I wrong?" Danny asked, uncertainly.

"No honey…you're not…"

"Why won't John tell me anything about them? Doesn't he know? Doesn't he know anything about them? I hate this! I hate not knowing where I come from, who I am. For all I know, my name might not even be Danny!" Danny said angrily, though the anger was just a cover-up to control his tears.

"Sweetie, it's complica-,"

"No!" Danny interrupted, this time real anger cracking his voice, "I'm sick and tired of hearing that! I've had enough of it! Why is everything always so complicated with him? Nothing's ever as simple as should be! I'm a prisoner in this place! He won't let me out on my own, he doesn't understand what I'm going through, and he's not even allowed to be setting these rules for me! He's not even my father! And above all that, he won't even let me know anything about my old family, let alone about how or when he found me and why he even took me in! I mean, I understand if he doesn't know about my parents, but couldn't he at least tell me what happened that night? Why would any twenty-one year old in his right mind take in an infant and house it and let it live with him anyways?"

Danny found himself irritated at John for entering his life, which made him feel even guiltier because he knew that, as a young infant, he wouldn't have survived without the man's shelter, care and protection.

"Honey, I know it's an old and tired excuse, but it's valid: He has his reasons, and it's in everyone's best interest. He's doing this for your safety."

"How? How is he keeping me safe like this? Does he think that never letting me see the outside world will protect me? Or maybe it will protect the world from me," Judy became tense, but then relaxed as he continued obliviously, "Since you say it's for everyone's best interest! Am I so dangerous to everyone, or what exactly?

"I can't stand it anymore! I can't!" he sobbed uncontrollably. "I've only begun thinking about it yesterday, but it seems like it's always been there in the back of my mind. Some intangible 'thing' that was nagging at me, I just didn't know what. And now that it's finally come out, it almost doesn't even matter that I didn't understand the feelings for so long…because it's like they were always there…"

"Shh, don't worry sweetie…it's okay, everything will work out for the best…" Judy whispered, letting the boy burrow himself into her. She knew she was treating him like a child, but at the moment she felt as though he needed it. She was right.

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"_It's not my fault this is happening John!"_ Judy protested at the other end of the line.

"Yes it is! You're the one who's been putting all those thoughts in his head! He's completely messed up now!" John whisper-screamed.

Danny was asleep in his bed in the next room, and had been so ever since his talk with Judy that afternoon.

_"Look John, it's not my fault you can't see that he's been like this for awhile! The past few months or more, I'd say! It's not possible for me to put those thoughts in his head, you idiot! He's been feeling this way for a long time. And I can't tell him how to feel!"_

John opened his mouth to retort, but Judy resumed her speech quickly, seizing his chance to talk.

_"You should've known this would happen! He's not a kid anymore! He's growing up and he's curious, he needs to know these things. Have you forgotten what it was like to be a teenager, Jo? Have you?"_

"No…" he answered.

_"Well then imagine how much harder it is for Danny, who has to deal with so much more, and doesn't even know it yet! John, you need to do something about this…because if it doesn't get fixed soon, the boy could scar permanently, and I wouldn't rule depression off the list either."_ Her voice seemed to echo on the phone.

John soon ended the conversation with Judy and reluctantly rose to begin dinner. He was feeling even worse than before…

_At least **it** hasn't happened yet…_

By 'it', he meant a lot of different things.

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Danny awoke in the early evening. He felt bleary, hazy and confused. It took a few moments to get himself back in context, and he felt his face begin to grow hot in embarrassment as he remembered his angry outburst from that morning.

"Hey Danny, you awake?" The door creaked open as John peeked his head through. Danny nodded.

"Well, dinner's ready," he said, and with that left the boy's room.

Though Danny was insanely tired, his growling stomach won the battle as he forced himself to rise. He dragged himself to the table and sat at his usual spot. John was still in the kitchen, and hadn't seemed to notice Danny's arrival.

Danny lifted the cover from one of the pots sitting on the table, revealing a steaming stew of vegetable soup. There was also salad at the table, along with a plate of lemony mashed potatoes, chicken and juice.

_That's just like John, _Danny thought with a smile. John always made sure they had at least one item from each food group, even though his cooking wasn't always the best. In fact, sometimes Judy would come over and prepare some meals for the week, and the boys would just heat them in the microwave.

"So, uh…you're awake, right?" he said unthinkingly.

"Uh, yeah, I guess…" Danny said, only then remembering John's apology note. "Oh, hey thanks...I mean…for…you know," he hesitated.

"Oh…uh, yeah…Um, have some soup?" he asked quickly, offering the hungry teenager a ladle. Danny took a small serving of soup in his plate and a bowl of salad. As hungry as he had been before, he now found himself unable to digest anything else. And for the first time, he wasn't reprimanded for not eating all his food.

Dinner passed in silence and they soon finished eating. As usual, Danny gathered the dirty dishes and cutlery while John put them in the dishwasher and wiped the table. While Danny emptied a place in the fridge for the box of mashed potatoes, John came and put a hand on his shoulder. Danny almost dropped the box of leftover Chinese take-out in his hand in surprise.

"Uhm, hey…well…I was wondering…I mean, I was gonna save this for later, but I guess now's probably a better time to tell you, so…well…I have a surprise!" he finally finished.

"What?"

"Well, do you remember Judy's cousin? You met her last year…"

"Yeah…" Danny said slowly, not really liking where this was going. He didn't like Carey very much…well…at all actually…

"Well, I know she's not your favorite person…but she's getting married next week…and we've been invited!"

"Well, I hope you have fu- wait…_we_?" Danny asked.

"That's right!" John beamed. "We're both going. And tomorrow, we're gonna get you some dress pants and shoes, and a nice shirt, and you'll be all set!" Danny gagged at the thought of himself in dressy clothes but didn't complain, seeing as it would be his first time in three months out of the apartment building.

So that night, Danny fell asleep peacefully in bed, earnestly awaiting the following day.

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"Are you ready, Danny?" John called from his room. His door was closed but it didn't really matter, seeing as the walls in the apartment were wafer-thin.

"In a minute!" Danny called from his room, slipping on a white and red T-shirt. He soon came bounding out of his room, like an excited little kid.

John couldn't help but smile. "So?"

"So? So what? Let's go already!!!" Danny urged. It seemed the closer the moment came, the more impatient Danny became about getting out of the building. He dragged John to the door and quickly put on his shoes. John laughed as he fiddled with his keys, trying to find the right one. As soon as they shut the door closed, Danny ran for the elevator, forcing John to pursue him.

They pressed the button and waited for the elevator to come. When it did, it was empty. John wrinkled his nose at the all-too familiar musty smell, but Danny seemed to enjoy the opportunity of inhaling a different scent, and drank it all in. He did the same thing as soon as they stepped foot outside.

Danny let the fresh air beat against his face and mess up his hair. He let it penetrate through his lungs as he smiled. It was perhaps at this very moment that John realized just how much he had been restricting the boy. It wasn't normal for a fourteen-turning-fifteen-year old boy to behave this way. It wasn't fair to him either. He looked as though he hadn't been outdoors in months…and well, he hadn't…

"Are we walking or taking the bus or what?" Danny asked.

"No, the mall is fairly close," John replied, "We can walk it in ten minutes or so."

During the walk, John was subjected to lots of questions from Danny's part, and was quite glad to enter the shopping centre so he could escape anymore inquiries, (even though he knew they were his own fault).

"Okay, so it's on the second floor." John said, checking a piece of paper that he'd removed from his pocket.

"Hello, may I help you?" asked a friendly sales associate at the front of the store when they had arrived.

"Um, we're just browsing thanks." John said.

Danny was so excited. He was finally out in the social world…'The Outside'. He watched the hundreds of people in the mall as they shopped, ate and drank, and just hung out. He felt his heart begin to drop a little bit…he felt a bit out-of-place for not having his own friends to hang out with but quickly pushed the thought out of his head. Today was supposed to be a happy day.

Danny was mostly taking in his surroundings and therefore not paying much attention to anything else around him, so he gave a small jump when John tapped him on the shoulder.

"Here you go, the sales associate picked out these for you," John said, "Just go in one of the changing rooms in the back and try them on."

Danny took the two different-sized white shirts, the three pairs of pants, and the pair of dress shoes with him to the back of the store, and closed the stall door.

The stall was made of a black metal, and its extra-gloss finish gave it a classy sort of look. It smelled fresh in there, like someone had just cleaned it with orange or lemony Windex. Danny hung the clothes on the hook. He changed out of his own shirt and pants and struggled to pull on the dress pants. They were black and plain, but that didn't bother Danny. The less prominent, the better. Next he put on the dress shirt, but struggled to close it.

_Why do they put so many buttons on these things anyways?_

He sat on the chair and tried on the shoes, which seemed to also fit him well. It was strange though, even though everything fit well, he still looked awkward when he looked in the mirror.

When Danny came out, John couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"What?" Danny said innocently.

John found it funny to see the Danny that was reputed to be so messy and clumsy dressed up in such formal clothes. It was like mixing oil and water…they clashed, though in a cute lost little puppy sort of way.

"It looks good. I guess those were the right sizes…" he said, becoming serious again.

"Cool, so we're getting this then?"

"Yeah. Just go change out of them and pass them over the door; I'll pay for them while you finish getting ready." Danny nodded.

When Danny had come out of the stall, he found John waiting for him at the entrance of the store with a large black bag.

"Now what? Danny asked, a little disappointed the 'trip' hadn't lasted longer. John seemed to notice this because he said, "You wannaget something to eat? I mean, there's a food court at the mall…we could have some ice cream or something…"

Clearly seeing Danny's excitement at the idea, John led the way to the ice cream stand on the third floor. They each chose a cone and a flavor and were soon sitting at a round table in the food court.

"Mm, so I was wondering," Danny said, swallowing some of his ice cream, "Where is this wedding gonna be anyways?"

"Well, it's four and a half to five hours away from here, someplace in Wisconsin." John replied.

"Wisconsin? Where's that?" Danny asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"Uh oh, looks like we need some more geography lessons," John laughed.

They sat at their table for at least a good forty-five minutes, talking about everything and anything they could think of.

When they finally got home, it was almost four pm. John opened the apartment door and Danny sat down on the couch, feeling a bit tired, yet still refreshed from his day out. He couldn't remember a time when he was so happy, and so appreciative of his guardian. He started to regain hope that John really did care about him, and that everything was going to be okay.

"Hey, I'm just going to go to the bathroom and I'll be right back." John called as he walked off.

As Danny sat on the couch, surrounded in momentary bliss, the phone rang. He checked the caller ID.

"Get that, would you Danny?" John called from the bathroom, probably expecting it to be Judy, and thus judging it was safe to let the boy answer.

The caller ID, however, was one Danny did not recognize. It read: _Socl Wrkr Associ…_ Regardless, he picked up the phone, seeing as John had given him permission.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hello," a sharp voice on the other end asked. It made Danny jerk in surprise. The voice belonged to a woman. "Who is this?"

"Uhhh…" Danny answered, a bit taken aback, "I'm sorry Ms, but aren't I supposed to be asking _you_ that?" It was a rhetorical question of course, Danny wasn't _that _clueless.

"Ohh," she said with a small laugh, her tone softening considerably…almost like she was talking to a small child. "You must be Daniel."

"Um…who is this?" Danny asked, pretty sure he didn't know this person who somehow knew him.

"This is Julia Chang, a social worker calling from Fighting For Kids. I'm calling regarding my appointment with your guardian John. Is he there?"

Danny felt a fiery sensation swelling up inside him, refusing to believe the words he'd just heard.

_A social worker? _

"Who is it Danny?" John asked casually, appearing from the hallway.

Danny looked up, glaring at John for a long hard moment. Then, dropping the phone, he ran past John and slammed his bedroom door, leaving the guardian standing frozen in place in bewilderment.

"What the…?" John stood motionless for a few moments, before he realized something unpleasant.

The man rushed to the phone to check the small blue caller ID screen, hoping what he thought had just happened hadn't.

Unfortunately, it had.

"Uh oh…"

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	3. Secrets

**Here's chapter 3! I was planning on waiting a bit before posting it, but I decided now's as good a time as any to put it up :) Anyways, I don't have much to say, so enjoy the chapter and leave me your thoughts!**

**Thanks to Kisho16, DannyTimmygirl327, MutantLover09, dragon of spirits and technogrl15 for reviewing the last chapter!**

**Ok, Enjoy!**

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_This is Julia Chang, a social worker calling from Fighting For Kids. I'm calling regarding my appointment with your guardian John. Is he there?_

The words rang painfully in Danny's mind, each one bouncing off onto the walls of his head and then bouncing back, colliding with his thoughts. It actually hurt.

He felt a hot burning sensation sweep over him and settle into his stomach. This was unbelievable…It felt like some really bad dream.

_Why didn't he tell me? Does he want to get rid of me so badly that he called a social worker?_

Hot angry tears began to fall down Danny's face, each one leaving its own blistering trail behind it. He stuffed his face into his pillow as he heard footsteps approaching his room. There was a soft knock on the door.

"Can I come in?"

"Go away!" Danny cracked.

The door creaked open.

_Why does he ask if he's just going to barge in anyways?_

John came in and sat on Danny's bed. It took him a few moments, but he eventually spoke.

"Danny- I'm sorry, it's not what you thin-,"

"It's not what I think? It's not what I think?" Danny began, his tone rising as he brought his face out of his pillow and up to look at John, "It's never what I think, is it, John? It's always _complicated_, isn't it? Am I that stupid? Am I so dense that I won't even be able to understand?"

"No Danny! It's not that and you know it!"

"Then _what_? Just _what _is it John? What is it that made you decide to _invite _a social worker into this house? If you're so keen on keeping me hidden from the world, don't you think it's a bit of a giveaway to let a social worker, of all people, see me?"

"Stop that Danny, you know I didn't _invite_ her!" John sighed exasperatedly. "I'm sorry, I truly am…I was going to tell you…I just…It's hard, okay? It isn't easy! I didn't know how you'd take it…and I wasn't sure what to say…"

"I know what you can say," Danny began fiercely, "You can tell me just why this person is coming here, for starters!"

A small groan escaped John. "Look Danny, you want the story? Here it is. I didn't actually _adopt_ you. It was illegal."

Danny had known that John had found him on the streets, but he was surprised to hear that his guardian hadn't brought him into an orphanage or something of the sort before taking him home.

"The orphanages near us…well, they're not good. I mean…they're cruel and inhumane. I wasn't sure it was such a good idea to take you there…and I couldn't leave you out on the streets, so I brought you in with me…"

Danny stared at his long-time guardian, his eyes narrowed.

_I don't believe him. That's not all there is to it. I can see it in his expression, in his face; He's hiding something._

"So how does this all tie in with the social worker?" Danny tested.

"She somehow found out that I'm not your _legal_ guardian, and now she wants to come over and investigate for herself."

"And you just let her?" Danny yelled in frustration.

"No Danny, but I couldn't lie to her. We're already in enough of a mess as it is. If she found out I was lying, we could be in some real big trouble! We're dealing with the _law_ here!"

"So that's why you were hiding me for _12 years_? Because you didn't want to get in trouble with the law? Is that why John?" Danny demanded furiously.

"No Danny, that isn't it. You don't understand everything. This is much more complex than you thin-,"

Danny felt his stomach wrench as he heard those words for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Leave."

"Danny-,"

"I said _leave_!" he repeated, louder.

John heaved a small sigh and exited the room, leaving Danny to stuff his face in his pillow and cry his anger away.

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"Come on Danny! Be a bit more spontaneous!" John insisted. He had been trying to make Danny pick a place to go to before Tuesday, the day of the social worker's visit.

"I don't want to go anywhere." Danny said bluntly, his eyes never leaving the page of the book in his hands.

"Come on Danny, anywhere! We'll go anywhere you want!" John encouraged. Danny felt a tiny ember of anger flicker within him and then disappear.

_"I know Danny. I know John can be an idiot, but he's trying to make up for it. Please just humor him? For me?" _Danny remembered his conversation with Judy earlier that morning.

_No. I'm sick of humoring him. I've had enough. I'm sorry Judy, I love you and all, but I won't try to hide how I feel anymore._ Danny thought.

"I said I don't want to." Danny repeated shortly, turning the page of his book in such a manner that said, 'This is the end of the conversation'.

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Tuesday had come around quicker than expected. John was in a complete cleaning frenzy, trying to get the place looking spotless for the visit. He hoped that maybe if everything was perfect, the social worker would let the situation slip by.

Danny wasn't doing too much to help however. On the morning of the dreaded day, he sat in front of the TV, his mind blank and his face emotionless. John had given up on trying to get him to help, so he left him sitting there.

A few hours before the social worker's visit, John came and dumped himself down on the couch, wiping his forehead with his forearm.

"Whew! This place sure needed a good cleaning!" he said, hoping to get a reply from Danny. Danny didn't answer.

John furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Danny had been sitting in the exact same spot for the last few hours, completely motionless and completely silent. His gaze was fixed on the curtain of the window just behind the television. The same expression that had been there earlier that morning was still visible on his face. His head was very slightly tilted and his eyebrows were lightly furrowed. Even Danny's bright icy blue irises wouldn't move. John was beginning to get worried and decided to call Judy from the phone in his bedroom, hoping she would know what to do.

"What do I do?" he whispered into the phone once she had answered.

_"I don't know John…it sounds to me like he's just in shock…"_ Judy replied, a note of concern in her voice. _"Have you tried talking to him?"_

"Are you joking? He'd sooner talk to a wild boar," John sighed.

_"Well…what time is that woman coming over?"_ Judy asked.

"I dunno…in about two hours?" John answered. "Why?"

_"Well, maybe I could come over or something…you know, keep Danny company? Do you have any errands to run or anything? I mean, no offense, but I don't think Danny really wants you around right now."_

"Well, I guess I do have to get a few things for the place. You sure you wouldn't mind coming over for awhile?" John answered, not even slightly offended by Judy's valid remark.

_"Of course not hun. I'll be right there."_ Judy said, and they both hung up with a click.

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"How are you feeling sweetheart?" Judy asked Danny as she took off her coat and hung it on the black coat rack next to the door. She didn't receive an answer.

"Danny? Is everything okay? Do you need something? Do you need to talk about something?" Judy urged gently as she came to sit next to him on the couch.

Danny groaned a little, but still didn't move.

"Sweetie, it's okay, you can talk. John's left the apartment. You can say anything you like."

Danny still wasn't answering. Judy put an arm around his shoulders. His breathing was soft but steady. She sat there for a few more moments, trying to coax Danny out of his strange trance. When all failed, she left him and went in Danny's bedroom to use the phone.

"John?" She asked when he picked up on the third ring.

_"Judy! How's it going? Has anything happened? Did he talk to you?"_ John rushed.

"No John, nothing's happened." Judy sighed. "But I still don't think it's something to worry about. It's probably just shock. A shock like this for a boy of Danny's age can be really overwhelming. We should jus-,"

"Judy?" A soft voice called.

"Oh, I've gotta go John! I think he's calling me!" She hung up the receiver without even waiting for a reply.

"Danny? Is everything okay? How're you feeling, hun?" Judy said as she ran to the couch and gently put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Mmm…not so good…I feel terrible," he said, choking on his words.

"Oh I know Danny, but don't worry, everythin-,"

"Uh no…I don't mean it like that…I mean…I think I'm…" Without another word, Danny jetted off his seat and ran to the bathroom, his hand clutching his throat.

His world was flashing lights. He closed his eyes as he lowered his head into the bathroom sink and threw up.

_This isn't like the last time I threw up…_Danny thought to himself, remembering the time he'd eaten too much chocolate cake on his eleventh birthday. This time, there was no lumpy feeling in his throat and his stomach didn't ache. Instead, he felt choking and burning in his throat, like couldn't breathe. He couldn't decide whether to try to get the stuff out or to try to breathe air in.

The choking sensation mounted up his throat, somehow reaching his ears.

_This **isn't** normal… _Danny thought, trying to rid himself of the liquid in his throat.

A few minutes later, Danny had finally managed to get rid of the substance completely. Still coughing slightly, he turned on the tap, but then noticed something strange. The substance he'd gagged didn't look like it was supposed to.

Instead, it was bright neon green and slightly gooey. Danny caught a glimpse of it as he was turning his head. _Is that normal?_

_Knock! Knock!_

"Is everything okay in there?" Judy asked, tapping on the door lightly.

Danny hurriedly splashed water on the liquid to drain it.

"Uhem…yeah, I'm coming…I mean, I'm fine." he stammered quickly, opening the door.

"What's going on? Are you alright?" Judy asked worriedly.

"I'm okay…" Danny lied, trying to brush it off. "I just got a little sick, that's all."

"Oh, okay…well…do you need anything?"

"Uh…no, I'm fine…really…" Danny hesitated, trying to change the subject. "Um, we should probably do some cleaning or something, right? I mean, before the person gets here…"

Judy smiled. "I guess we should work a few finishing touches to the place." She sighed. Danny made for the cleaning supplies cupboard.

"Oh no you don't," Judy warned, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder to stop him from walking any further. "You're not going _anywhere _mister! Go sit down."

"What?"

"Go sit," Judy ordered firmly.

"But," Danny protested.

"No! You're not in any condition to work! Sit. I'll do it." Judy insisted.

Danny was silent for a moment, and then smiled. "Thanks."

Judy made her way to the kitchen and Danny could soon hear the sound of spritzes and wiping against the table and counters.

Danny sat on the couch and picked up his book. He had become so engrossed in the fascinating and absorbing journeys in the story that he didn't even notice the two hours pass by.

"John? Where are you?" Judy exclaimed angrily. Danny snapped out of his reading trance and found Judy sitting next to him on the couch, talking on the phone.

"_What?_" Judy's voice rose. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? What do you mean she just phoned you?" Judy's face turned red. "That is so rude of her! Ugh…fine…when will you be back? Okay. See you then. Bye."

"Um, Judy?" Danny asked tentatively, "Is everything okay?"

Judy sighed to help calm herself. "Well, the social worker won't be coming today. She just called John to tell him."

"Umm…isn't that a good thing?" Danny asked, confused.

"Yeah, you've got a point…" Judy gave a small laugh, but then became frustrated again, "It's just so rude! I can't believe she would do that! Ugh! When you make an appointment with someone, you should keep it! And if you have to cancel it, at least give them a few days' notice!"

Danny couldn't help but laugh. Judy would always get this way when she was angry. She was usually fun-loving and happy, but when something made her mad, she could really go overboard.

The next half hour passed by quickly. Before they knew it John had come home, bearing a pizza box and a movie.

"Hey! I brought you guys a surprise!" John smiled in the doorway as Judy took the box from him, setting it on the table. Danny grumbled something incoherently as he turned away from John.

"Well, this is unexpected," Judy smiled, trying to lighten the suddenly tense mood.

"Well, y'know, nothing but the best!" John said awkwardly. Danny understood the hint, but refused to let John suck up to him. He was still mad at the man, and it would take more than a pizza and movie to make everything okay.

Judy distributed the pizza slices as John turned on the movie. It was a comedy, but it didn't lighten the mood the way John had hoped it would. The atmosphere was tense and unpleasant. Even the forced laughs throughout the movie were heavy.

Eventually, Danny's mind began to wander away from the film. He began to wonder what might happen to him if the social worker actually took him out of John's custody.

_Anything would be better than this place. _he lied to himself. He knew he was only thinking this way out of anger towards his guardian and he knew he didn't mean it, but at the moment he didn't care.

The end of the movie was nearing, and Danny still hadn't even touched his food. No one was really paying attention anymore. John was fidgeting, Judy was restless and Danny was dying to get out of the room and find a place where he could just sit and think.

"I'm going to sleep," he announced shortly, deciding he'd had enough.

"Aren't you going to eat?" John inquired.

Danny shook his head and walked off to his bedroom.

"Goodnight Danny." Judy called. Danny grunted a small goodnight in reply as he closed his door.

Turning off the lights and disappearing under his warm blankets, Danny tried to clear his mind and fall asleep. But thoughts of being taken away from John kept revisiting and overwhelming him.

He stifled a yell of frustration into his pillow.

_What is wrong with me?_ He thought desperately. _How can I be thinking things like this? I know John's been really good to me and he's probably one of the most caring people out there. I have a great life…but on the other hand…I just can't understand why he's so overprotective. He won't even let anyone know I exist! I just can't understand why. Why is he being so weird about this?_

Danny had never felt so irritated about anything in his life. He wanted to scream and shout and kick at everything in sight. The boy felt himself sweating because of the hot night air. He kicked off his covers in aggravation.

Deciding he needed a glass of water to cool down, Danny rose from his bed and made his way to the kitchen, but before turning the corner wall that lead into the kitchen, he heard John and Judy's voices.

Danny knew eavesdropping was wrong, but so was talking about him behind his back. He positioned himself in such a way that he could see and hear the two adults, but they couldn't hear or see him.

"Well I for one will be happy if the social worker takes him." That was Judy's voice.

_Happy if the social worker takes me? I thought Judy liked me… _Danny thought sadly.

"What? Don't you like Danny?" John echoed Danny's thoughts, perplexed.

"Don't be an idiot John," Judy said pointedly, "You know I love Danny more than anything." John looked like he'd just been slapped in the face. It was kind of funny.

"It's just that," Judy continued, weighing each word before speaking it, "Danny deserves better…"

"But-," John protested.

"No, let me finish. I know Danny's like your kid brother or something…and I know you've given him everything, and done your best to protect and help him grow in a healthy environment."

"Well, apparently my best wasn't good enough…" he sighed dejectedly.

"No! John that's not true! It's not what I mean…its just…Danny needs a stable education, a better home, secure health care…and a safe life. One where he's not in constant danger of…you know…" Judy mouthed a word that Danny couldn't make out.

_What in the world is going on? _Danny thought to himself. _Why am I in danger all of a sudden? _Danny struggled not to make noise, but even his breathing was getting heavier and louder.

"He's not in danger! He's not in danger _anymore! _I moved away from there! Remember? Remember Judy? I moved away from Amity just to keep him safe!" John yelled.

Danny jerked in fright at the unexpected mini-outburst, stifling a yelp of surprise that thankfully, nobody else seemed to have heard.

"I've even done everything in my power to make sure he stays safe! Even in this new town!"

"I know that John!" Judy whispered exasperatedly, afraid of waking what she thought was an asleep Danny. "But what if he tracks you down? You know that's possible?"

"Judy, stop it! Stop! I've had enough of this," John said angrily, clearly trying not to lose it, "What is it you don't understand? I've done everything in my power to make sure he's safe! You know I'd never let anyone hurt Danny!"

"I'm sorry…" Judy said quietly. John's breathing had accelerated. A few moments of silence passed.

"What does he want with him?" Judy whispered, a scared look now engraved on her delicate face; her tone and expression had completely changed.

"I don't know exactly…" John sighed wearily, "I just know he was in danger that night…and I don't ever want it to happen again."

Danny's head was whirling. He was simply unable to process all the information he'd just heard. His ears burned and he his stomach felt sick. His breathing became very slow and deep.

"You know, you sound so certain he's going to be taken away…" John said, trying to force a laugh of accompaniment with his comment.

Danny didn't stay to listen to the rest. He rose to his feet and ran back to his bedroom, deciding he'd heard enough for one evening.

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	4. The Drawing

**I know, I know! It's been forever since my last update! I'm sorry :( **

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I don't have lots of time on the computer right now, so I can't do it name by name, but thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter; I love reading your reviews and comments, so keep 'em up! **

**Enjoy chapter 4!**

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"So, have you started packing yet?" Judy asked Danny conversationally, taking the seat across from him at the table.

"Wow Judy, I didn't know you were that excited to get rid of me. The social worker hasn't even come over yet," Danny snorted, only half-joking.

John had gone out to work and Judy had taken the day off to stay with Danny. Of course, Danny'd had no say in the matter, and although he appreciated the action, he wasn't so sure he wanted company just then.

It took Judy a few moments to realize what Danny was talking about. She feigned an uncomfortable laugh before saying, "No silly, I didn't mean that! I meant are you packed for the wedding yet? You know you'll be leaving for Wisconsin in two days?"

Danny had completely forgotten about the wedding. To be honest though, he really didn't want to go anymore. He wouldn't be surprised if it was the subject of another fight with John.

"_I've even done everything in my power to make sure he stays safe! Even in this new town!"_

"_I know that John! But what if he tracks you down? You know that's possible?"_

What did John mean by '_even in this new town_'? They had moved away since Danny was a child? Did that mean Danny was actually from that Amity place John was talking about? And just who exactly was going to try to track them down? Why was he in danger?

Danny's head spun around with these thoughts all afternoon. He felt so overwhelmed; it was as if his life had been turned upside down in a matter of hours. One day everything was going perfect, and the next, everything had changed. And the worst part was that he was so helpless. He couldn't do anything but yell and scream out of utter frustration.

The day dragged on lazily. Danny tried to distract himself with various activities: writing, reading, listening to music…nothing worked. Finally, out of sheer desperation, he took out his science exercise book and decided to try working on some problems.

He stared at a few problems, unable to concentrate. Unconsciously, he began doodling on the margins of the page. Even though he didn't usually doodle, something felt strange about the sketching… His hand felt tense and restricted, like it was being guided. It was almost as if someone else was controlling the pen, forcing him to draw what they wanted. Danny actually laughed a little at the silliness of the idea. Regardless, he let his hand flow with the pen, sketching random lines and squiggles.

Danny eventually grew tired of this and decided to go to his room and start packing. He'd never even packed a schoolbag or lunchbox before, let alone a travel bag. He figured he'd write a list of everything he needed.

Eventually, the boy began emptying his drawers, trying to find the items he'd put on the list. Just as he was deciding whether to pack his silver and green shirt or his red and white shirt, he heard a knock on the door. Correctly assuming it was Judy, he called, "Come in!"

"What are you up to?" Judy asked, walking in and taking a seat on the bed next to Danny's piles of clothing.

Danny gestured towards his piles in reply.

"Do you need any help?" she asked.

"No thanks," Danny said bluntly. He wasn't too keen on the idea of letting Judy pack his boxers for him.

"Are you okay?"

"Well, what do you think?" Danny replied moodily. He could've slapped himself right there and then for being so mean to Judy, but he couldn't control himself. If he didn't let out his anger somehow, he'd blow up.

"Oh sweetie, I know this is insane for you…Insanely unreal. And I'm sorry things are working out this way. John never meant for you to get hurt." Danny grunted in reply.

_Well, he may not have meant for it to happen, but it happened anyways…_

"I just want you to know I'll always be here for you." She smiled as she rose to leave.

Unable to stop himself from smiling at the woman's kindness and gentleness, Danny muttered a small thank you before Judy closed the door. Even though she didn't turn around to say anything, Danny somehow knew she'd heard him anyways.

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A few hours later, Danny heard the front door being unlocked.

"I'm home!" John called as he closed the door.

"Hi John. How was work?" Judy said sweetly.

"Oh you know, the usual. You know Lenny, the waiter? Well, he was telling me how-,"

Danny tuned out the conversation as he returned to folding his clothes and packing them in his bag. A few minutes later however, he heard his name being called.

"Yeah?" he yelled in response, sticking his head out the door.

"Come here!" John's firm voice ordered.

Danny bit back a retort. He quietly made his way to the couch outside.

"Yes?" he asked stiffly.

"What's this?" John asked, pointing to the small sketch that Danny had drawn on his notebook earlier.

"A drawing?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Why did you draw this?" John asked sternly, his eyes filled with concern, and the notebook in his hands shaking slightly.

"Oh, is this a crime now too?" Danny sighed exasperatedly, throwing his arms in the air and rolling his eyes. "Is it a criminal offense? I mean, I knew going out, having fun and _having a life _were all off-limits for me, but I guarantee you I was never informed that drawing was against the law too!"

Judy, who was in the kitchen cooking, seemed to have heard the commotion because she came rushing over.

"What's going on?" she asked hurriedly, afraid that Danny and John were fighting again.

John didn't answer, but replied by showing the woman the notebook.

Judy stared at it intently for a few moments, not quite understanding the problem. Suddenly, a few seconds later, she clapped her hand to her mouth as her eyes widened.

"Is that…?" she breathed, hardly daring to speak. John gave what seemed to be a small nod.

_Okaaaay…this is getting really weird. What exactly is going on?_

Danny, now completely confused, took another look at his drawing to see just what was so terrifying about it. Upon taking a second look at it, he realized that he'd actually drawn something, not just a series of squiggly lines like he'd thought. The drawing was a bust of a muscular man in a tight long sleeved shirt and a greyish cape. He had strange flaming hair, almost like flames of fire, and his eyes were shaded so that they looked like they were glowing.

_Okay, so maybe it is a bit weird for a sketch…_Danny thought. _But it's nothing to faint about._

John's face was pallid as he quietly ordered Danny to go to his room.

"Why?" Danny challenged.

"Just…just go…please." It sounded more like a tired desperate plea than an order, so Danny decided he'd just leave. He was becoming a little worn out from the constant arguing anyways, and was glad to get away.

He returned to his packing, and eventually the two adults' voices outside began to grow faint.

Danny sighed and tightly shut his eyes as he fell on his back against his bed. He helplessly stared up at his white ceiling, wishing his life wasn't so complicated. Worn out from his own drenching misery, Danny eventually fell asleep.

What seemed like only a few minutes later, Danny found himself being shaken awake by Judy.

"Danny? Danny! Wake up! I need to talk to you!" she urged.

"Hmmmn?" Danny replied blearily. Rubbing his eyes, he forced himself up, using his elbows for support.

"What's wrong?" he asked hazily, slightly alarmed at the urgency in Judy's voice.

"Danny, I need to ask you about the picture-,"

"Mmm…picture?" Danny asked with a yawn.

"Yes! I need-,"

"Oh…_that _picture." Danny rolled his eyes sleepily. "What's the big deal Judy? It's just a sketch. It's not even obscene or anything. Let it go." Danny finished, pulling his covers on him and turning around.

"That's not the point!" Judy cried desperately, throwing the covers off him and causing him to turn around and face her. She sighed and then laid a hand on Danny's shoulder. "You don't know the whole story, so it's natural that you should be skeptical. I understand that. But could you please just answer a few things for me?" She used her most calm an understanding tone to say this.

Completely giving up on arguing or even understanding what the brunette was talking about, Danny nodded. Judy smiled in thanks and relief.

"Good. Now I need you to tell me what made you draw that picture."

Danny sat up and sighed before replying. "I was bored and I just started doodling lines, that's all. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't even notice what I was drew until just now, when you and John were freaking about it." Danny said, hoping this would help the situation.

"Wait, you didn't know what you were drawing?" Judy said, her expression unreadable.

Danny nodded in satisfaction, certain this would reassure Judy. After all, if the picture itself was the problem, then everything would be okay if the two adults knew he hadn't drawn it on purpose.

"Nope! It was almost as if someone else was controlling the pen!"

Unfortunately, this news only seemed to worry Judy more than before. She began muttering things like, "Oh no…this is really bad," and "It's worse than we thought…" under her breath.

But there was one thing in particular that _really _caught the boy's attention. "He was possessed."

_Possessed?_

"Judy…what exactly is going on? Could you just tell me what big deal is?" Danny was going to mention something about her comment of him being possessed, but he was cut off.

"It's a sign. _He_'s coming…it must be that…unless he hasn't found us…but he said he'd come when this happened…" Judy continued mumbling similar things for a few moments, speaking more to herself than to Danny.

She clenched her fists and let out a deep breath, almost as if to calm herself, and she rose to leave the room.

Danny sighed as the door creaked closed.

_I just don't get it…I just don't…I mean, I drew a picture, and they act like I committed a crime…Is it what I drew? Is that the problem? Judy did say 'he was coming.' Maybe the 'he' is the same person I drew. But how is that possible? I've never seen this person before; how could draw someone who I didn't even know existed? And another thing, why did Judy say I was possessed?_

Danny kept screaming these questions in his head.

Feeling helpless and powerless, Danny threw himself back onto the bed and cried. Not tears of sadness. Tears of anger and despair. It must've taken him at least a half hour to calm down. Finally deciding he needed a distraction from his troubles, Danny logged onto his computer, double-clicked the blue Internet icon and quickly typed a few words in the search bar.

Danny didn't go on the computer much; he didn't have e-mail or instant messaging or anything else of the sort. But there was one site he'd visit from time to time; it was an art site. He loved looking at all the different drawings submitted by other people. Depending on the emotion trying to be conveyed through the picture, it would sometimes help him deal with his own feelings.

Danny found it ironic that he was trying to soothe his anger by looking at art, when it was art's fault that he was angry in the first place.

_No, it's not because of the drawing incident that I feel this way…I've had this coming a long time. I just didn't realize, that's all._

Danny stared at the screen in front of him, his vision blurring, to his surprise. He wasn't crying…why did the screen look so hazy then? Suddenly, Danny felt a sharp piercing sensation in his stomach, as if someone had just stabbed him. He let out a small yelp as another sharp blow came to him, this time in his shoulder. Danny's head began pounding vigorously as the pain in his stomach and shoulder increased. His world was blurring and he couldn't see straight. He tried to take in a breath to calm down, but ended up just choking on the air in his throat. Then, without even realized, he'd fallen off his chair. He was now lying on the floor motionless. Before he knew it, John and Judy had come running into the room.

His breaths became short and irregular, his chest moving up and down quickly. The world was spinning before him and he was feeling all sorts of pains all over his body.

"John, do something!" he managed to hear Judy squeal.

"He needs ice to cool down," John answered, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.

"No!" Judy yelled, "He needs to get to a hospital! Now!"

"I can't take him! He doesn't have any form of identity papers or anything! If I take him then everyone will know! And what about his blood? It may've already happened you know!"

"I don't care John! Look at him! He needs medical attention now!"

Danny was now sweating, and he felt his face and neck grow hot. He heard one more distinct yell echo painfully in his ears before he drifted off into a dark and silent oblivion.

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**Reviews please!**


	5. The Dream

**Here's chapter 5! I hope you guys enjoy it:) **

**Thanks to: blondecrazything, DannyTimmygirl327, ShatteMyMuse, dragon of spirits, Kisho16 and MutantLover09 for reviewing! You guys rock so hard! **

**Okay, everyone, read and enjoy!**

**_Crystal_**

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"_I've been waiting a long time to meet you Daniel," the eerie yet sophisticated voice echoed throughout the room. "I've been watching you." _

_Danny sat still, not daring to breathe. His eyes darted around the dark room, trying unsuccessfully to locate the source of the voice. Then, out of the shadows stepped a tall dark figure. _

_There wasn't enough light for Danny to see the man, but he could clearly make out a figure wearing a cape that swayed around him. _

"_You know, I know your mother and father. Your sister too. We were…hmm…friends, shall we say?" Danny's heart stood still. The man dropped a paper on the floor, letting it flutter down to Danny's feet. He barely had the courage to pick it up. _

"_Go ahead. Look at it," the voice dared. _

_With all possible precaution, Danny gently took the paper into his hands, his fingers trembling. _

_It was a photograph. The glossy finish created a glare made it hard to see the picture, but when Danny tilted it slightly, he saw something that made his heart skip a beat. There were three people in the picture: two adults and a child. He didn't know why, but something about this photograph excited him. _

"_It's your family Daniel," the voice said. The figure drew nearer to Danny. _

_Yes! Yes! He knew it! It was his family! He had no idea what made him believe these people were his relatives, but something about them looked so…comforting. So familial. They even had similar features._

_He stared at the picture intently, drinking in every detail. Standing in the middle ground of the photo was a woman and a man; the man's arm hung around the woman's shoulder. He had black hair, with just a touch of grey here and there. He had a squarish build, and was clad in a black suit. The woman in his embrace had large expressive brown eyes and auburn hair. She wore a beautiful elegant gown embroidered with lace and ribbon. Her hands were wrapped in lacy white gloves. She wore an affectionate expression on her face, just like the man. Danny was about to figure out what they were so tenderly smiling about, but the voice snapped him out of his happy examination. _

"_Beautiful, isn't she? The most beautiful woman in the world." _

_Danny furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but when no further comment was made, he returned to examining the picture._

_The last person in the photo was a little girl; she looked almost four years old. She had shoulder-length orange hair and wore a blue and black dress with a matching headband. She was playing with a light-up snow globe._ _He realized that she was the object of her parents' attntion in this picture._

_Danny felt his eyes tear up. So this was his family? They looked so happy and friendly. He wished he could see them and talk to them. When was this picture taken? Was the girl his little sister, or was this taken many years ago?_

"_But Daniel," the voice interrupted the boy once more, "That is not why you are here." _

Danny looked at the man in apprehension. 

"_Flip the photograph over."_

_Danny did as he was told. He let out a faint gasp as he recognized the face on the other side. It was the face of the person he'd sketched the other day, but in color. The man's red eyes and twisted-looking smile gave him an aurora of pure evil. His hair was a strange shade of white and his skin was was blue._

_All of a sudden, Danny found himself pinned against the wall by the dark figure. He was raised off the floor by the front of his shirt. His breathing accelerated as he struggled to move as far away as possible from the man, who was just inches away from his face. Danny still couldn't see the figure in the darkness, but he did see the glare of the glowing eyes …a terrifyingly horrendous glare…_

"_**That**, my boy, is why you are here."_

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Danny bolted straight up in bed. He was panting heavily, his hands clammy and his face covered with sweat. He quickly looked around the room, half expecting the mysterious figure from his dream to jump out at him with a knife. An icy cold feeling swept his forehead and he almost jumped back in surprise until he heard Judy's soft voice.

"Oh don't worry sweetheart, it was just a bad dream." Judy was sitting on the bed next to Danny. She took the wet towel off the boy's head, dipped it in a bowl of icy water and drenched it and spread it on his forehead once more.

Danny lay down on the bed again to keep the ice from slipping off his face. He was only partially aware that he had woken up from the dream.

_It was just a nightmare, nothing more. It's nothing to fuss about. I should just let it go. It wasn't real…_

Danny tried to convince himself to stop worrying about the nightmare, but was startled out of his thoughts by John, who was just entering the room.

"How's he doing?" he asked quietly.

"Fine," Judy replied haughtily, pointing her nose in the air and continuing to take care of Danny.

"Oh come on, Judy! Are you actually mad about this?" John sighed exasperatedly.

Judy didn't answer. Danny looked at the two of them in perplexity.

_Nooowww what?_

"Ju-."

"Okay, yes! I am mad! I can't believe you did that John! What's the matter with you?" Judy yelled suddenly as she bolted off the bed, turned to face John and almost dropped the bowl of ice water (Danny caught it before it fell). "I can't believe you would rather watch Danny suffer than take him to a doctor! And all because of your _little secret_!" She spoke the last two words with disgust.

"It's not my little secret!" John snapped. "It's for the boy's best interest and you know it!"

Danny knew he shouldn't have said anything. He should have just kept his mouth shut…but something inside him was stirring. He _needed _to know.

"What's the secret?"

The room was silent.

"Is it the fact that I'm not supposed to be living here? Is that it?"

The reply of silence was enough to answer Danny's question. _No_, that's not it. That's not the secret. But it was even more confusing to Danny as he began to wonder just how many secrets were being kept from him.

"You deserve to know. You really do Danny." Judy began, receiving an eye-roll from the boy. "But…it's not quite time to tell you yet…"

"Fine. Whatever." Danny replied shortly, refusing to insist anymore. It wasn't going to get him anywhere anyways.

Though he'd turned to face the wall and disappeared under is blankets, Danny could still feel Judy and John looking at each other worriedly.

"So, uh…I was thinking," John began a few moments later, changing the subject, "Maybe it would be a good idea to skip the wedding."

"What? Why?" Danny rolled over to face them, startled at his guardian's comment.

"Well, we're supposed to leave tomorrow and-,"

"Tomorrow? I thought it was in two days." Danny said.

"Honey, it's almost two am; you slept through the day. We're supposed to leave tomorrow." Judy smiled.

"Why can't we go then? I mean, we're already packed and everything!"

"Well, it's not that we can't go Dan, I just think it'll be better if we stay home. I mean, if you're not feeling well-."

"What? No! I'm feeling fine! C'mon, I wanna go!" Danny whined. Even though he hadn't been too excited to go just a few hours ago, he'd grown to like the idea. He was eager to finally get to visit another state.

"I'm not sure if it'll be good for you Danny. I mean, we wouldn't want you to have another breakdown while we're there; we won't be able to treat you properly." John said.

"Oh, like you were able to treat me properly _here_." Danny muttered under his breath as he crossed his arms.

"He has a point John," Judy pointed out. "Don't be such a drag! It'll be good for him to get out a little!"

John sighed. It took a few minutes of pleading, whining and puppy dog faces to convince him, but he finally caved.

"Well then," Judy smiled as she clapped her hands together, "I guess we should prepare for tomorrow!"

Danny made to rise from the bed, but Judy was quick to stop him.

"Mm…honey, I don't know if you should be working right now. It'd probably be better to rest," she said, concern on her face.

_Why is everyone always telling me to rest? Just how weak do they think I am?_

"I'll be fine," Danny reassured her. In fact, he felt as though he'd just slept a good nine to ten hours.

"Good to hear," John smiled, "In that case, I think we should start by making some food for the trip. It's a whole five hours from here, you know."

Judy set out the toast, cheese and spread on the table, along with three plates and knives. John put the stereo on for a little fun. Danny brought out some plastic bags to seal the sandwiches in.

The next few hours passed quickly as they talked, joked and prepared for the trip. Danny helped John bring the travel bags to the entrance so they'd be ready to leave right away the next day. Judy put the sandwiches and snacks in the fridge and helped iron the boys' suits for the wedding.

For the first time in awhile, Danny was having a good time. But something was off. A heavy nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't get rid of. Every now and then his mind would wander off and think about the nightmare he'd had just before he came to.

_It's not like it's my first nightmare ever or something, so what's my problem? Maybe it's just that it was so…real…almost like it was actually happening…_

"What would we do without you Judy?" John smiled, interrupting Danny's thoughts.

Judy laughed. "Hmhmm…I was just asking myself the same question," she said a she unplugged the iron and zipped the boys' suits in a plastic cover.

"Hey, I'm getting kinda tired," Danny yawned, also having the ulterior motive of wanting to get away from the adults who were teasing each other. It felt wrongand out of place for him to be there when they acted this way.

"Well, we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, sport. You'd better get to bed. Judy and I will finish up with the cleaning and stuff."

Danny nodded and wished the two a goodnight as he went off to bed.

He closed the lights and tucked himself into his bed, trying to clear his thoughts. But he kept involuntarily recalling the scenes from his dream. Had that really been his family in the photograph? Just who was the weird flaming-haired guy who kept appearing in his life, whether awake or asleep? What did the voice in his dream want with him? Danny was beginning to doubt his sanity. Some things in the dream had been so strange and hazy that they just couldn't have been real, like the way Danny could never see the strange and mysterious figure, but could only hear him. But some things had been so real, like the man's voice, the photograph and the way the figure had pinned him against the wall. He'd actually felt that.

These thoughts crowded Danny's thoughts until he eventually fell into a deep peaceful rest.

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**Can't wait to hear your thoughts!**

_**Crystal**_


	6. Wisconsin

**Another update; woohoo! **

**Thanks to DannyTimmygirl327, ShatterMyMuse, MutantLover09, Kisho16 and Nylah for reviewing chapter 5!**

**I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on this chappie; Let's just say something interesting's gonna happen! Enjoy :D**

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John took a look at the bags next to the door and let out a long whistle.

"It's gonna take _at least_ two to three trips from here to the car and back to load that stuff in the trunk," he groaned unexcitedly. "How on earth did we ever pack so much luggage?"

"I told you I'd help," Danny said from the couch, arching an eyebrow.

"C'mon Danny, you know you can't. I only want you outside when completely necessary."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Hey, where's Judy's bag?" he asked suddenly, noticing the bags sitting at the front door belonged only to the two boys.

"Oh…uh…Judy's not coming with us Dan…" John said uncertainly.

"What?"

"Oh, I thought you knew hun!" Judy said, appearing from the hallway with a towel in her hands, "I'll be leaving with my sister. We need to finish up last-minute preparations for the wedding. Y'know, since we're the bridesmaids and all."

Danny nodded in silent comprehension.

_I'd better drop this grudge against John if we're going to spend the next fivehours cooped up in a car together. I don't want the ride to be too awkward._ Danny sighed mentally. He was hoping Judy'd be there too; whenever she was around, the tension just seemed to be at a lower level.

"Anyways," Judy began, "I'll be in the same hotel; my room's only three doors away from yours. I'll just be arriving a little later than you guys, that's all."

"What's wrong sport? You think once Judy leaves I'll turn into a demented maniac or something?" John laughed, trying to make the situation less awkward. He could tell Danny was uncomfortable about spending time with the man who was letting a social worker over to inspect him.

Danny smiled uneasily.

"Let me help you with those bags." Judy broke the awkward silence.

A good fifteen minutes later, the two of them had packed all the bags in the trunk of the car. John took a look around the apartment, making sure everything was in its place so they could leave.

"Danny, would you please check that we didn't leave any food on the counter?"

"I already did that!" Judy called from the balcony, (she was watering a few plants).

"Oh. Well, in that case we're all set!" John said, clapping his hands together. "Man, I'm psyched! This is the first time I've traveled out of this town in years!"

Danny didn't want to show it at the risk of seeming too eager or dorky, but he really was excited for the trip too.

They locked the door of the apartment and took the stairs down to the parking. John turned the key, starting the engine. Danny sat in the seat next to John, who rolled the window down to wave goodbye to Judy before driving off.

They drove in silence for a few moments.

"So…where exactly is this wedding going to be?" Danny asked, trying to make conversation.

"Well, the invitation is in the glove compartment if you want to see it." John replied.

Danny rummaged through the compartment, finally grabbing hold of a white lacy envelope with John's last name written in calligraphy on the front. He pulled out a purple card from the envelope and began reading.

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of:_

_Carey Michaels and Nicolas Andrews_

_Daughter of Alexander and Melissa; Son of Kelly and Josh_

_Date: July 15__th_

_Location: DALV Association Ballroom, Wisconsin_

_Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm_

_Note: The reception will be held at the Wisconsin Dairy King's mansion, compliments of Mr. Masters himself. _

_RSVP _

"Who's Mr. Masters?" Danny asked, wondering why the invitation made him sound so special.

"Huh? Oh, um…I don't know. I think Judy said he was the Wisconsin Dairy King or something; it should say on the invitation."

"Oh…um, ok…" Danny scoffed, trying to stifle a laugh.

_That's actually a title? Dairy King?_

"Actually, it's a very prestigious position Danny. The guy owns a mansion."

_Whatever. It doesn't make it any cooler. _

"So then, how does Carey know him if he's so high-status?" 

"Hmm, I'm not sure," John mused, "Oh that's right! Judy told me the wedding was supposed to be someplace else, but it didn't work out so one of the best man's nieces pulled in a favor from this guy."

_A __**niece**__ pulled in a favor; why how old is she?_

"His niece?" Danny asked, thinking he had heard wrong.

"Yeah. Her name is Valerie. She works for Masters. I think she's about your age."

"Oh…" Danny put an end to the conversation, finding nothing more to say.

The trip went smoothly. It had been a few hours, and they were finally near their destination. However, Danny began to notice that they'd passed the same confectionary about three times.

"Uh…why are we going in circles?" Danny asked.

"I can't find the hotel…" John said irritably, fiddling with the map in his hands.

"So just stop and ask for directions," Danny said, his tone implying blatancy.

"I don't need to do that!" John replied, frustrated. "Just give me a second to figure this out."

Danny rolled his eyes as he left John to examine the map. He looked out his window. It was late afternoon and the streets were empty and quiet. Almost no one was outside; it reminded Danny of a little olden day village. Eventually the imagery began moving as Danny realized they were driving again. A good twenty minutes later, they had arrived at the hotel.

Danny stared at the large stone building. A set of three stairs led up to the majestic mahogany doors of the hotel. Two columns carved with lion's faces held a brick canopy that sheltered the entrance area.

They parked in the underground lot, each taking some of the baggage and heading for the elevator.

"Stay here while I get the hotel key, okay?" John ordered Danny once they made it to the lobby.

The lobby was large and opened up to a hallway with two elevators. Golden chairs, couches and curtains made up the theme of the spacious room. Danny took a seat in one of the comfy plush sofas.

He'd managed to escape the emotion earlier, but now, as he sat in quiet contemplation, a feeling of stress overwhelmed him.

_Something was so off about that dream…some sort of intangibility…_ he mused, revisiting his nightmare for what seemed like the ten millionth time.

He didn't really know how, but he eventually somehow found himself standing in front of his room: number four twenty-two. It was almost as if he'd just snapped out of a trance and found himself in a different place then where he last was.

"There," John said as he opened the door, "This is the room. Judy's room is just a little way down the hall; she should be here by evening. I got her an extra key, just in case she ever needs to come check on you or something." Danny rolled his eyes at John's overprotectiveness.

Danny entered the room. It smelled fresh and clean. There were two beds covered in soft clean linens and a dresser with a TV.

John set the bags down next to the closet.

"Hey, there's a gym downstairs," he noted as he scanned the hotel brochure that had been sitting on the desk. "Whaddya say, sport? You wanna work out a bit?"

Danny shook his head distractedly. "Um, I'll pass this time…"

"Suit yourself," John said, opening his bag and pulling out a pair of khakis and a shirt. "They're not exactly 'workout clothes', but they'll have to do. I didn't really plan on going to the gym, but when the mood strikes…" he laughed. Danny didn't respond. John became uncomfortable as he resumed speech.

"Uhem...by the way Danny, I was thinking, if you want, you could maybe go outside the hotel or something. I mean, since we're in _Wisconsin_ and we won't be here long, I figured it'd be okay. If you want to, that is."

"Oh…um okay. Thanks." Danny said blandly, though having no intention of going out.

"Alright. The second key is on the dresser. Just slip it through the slot to open the door," John said as he closed the door and left.

"Sure."

Danny sighed as he fell onto the bed. The dream kept coming back to haunt him, but he couldn't understand why.

_You know what? I think I __**will **__take a walk. I might as well take advantage of the 'privilege' while I can. Besides, maybe it'll help clear my mind…_Danny said to himself.

Grabbing the key from the dresser and slipping it in his pocket, he headed out the door. He walked down the hallway and took the elevator to the ground floor.

Danny made his way to the lobby and opened the front door of the hotel. He smiled as he took a deep breath of clean fresh air. Letting the door swing closed behind him, the boy began walking. He didn't really know where he was going, but he didn't really care either.

His mind wandered along with his legs. The fresh air was doing him good. Danny soon found himself at the back of the hotel, where he saw a large swimming pool, a Jacuzzi and a snack bar.

_Man, this place has everything! _Danny thought to himself.

There were a few people swimming and some were sitting at the tables, eating and talking.

But it was the girl lounged on a pool chair and writing in a silvery aqua notebook that caught his attention. He didn't know why exactly, but it was very likely due to the fact that she was dressed in a manner that made her stick out like a sore thumb, especially in this kind of heat.

The girl wore a small tight purple sweater with a black skirt, purple tights and bulky shoes. Her short black hair was in a half updo and she sported big black sunglasses that hid her eyes. She looked about his age.

"Samantha! There you are!" Danny was startled by the voice. A blond-haired man clad in khakis and a striped shirt was hurrying towards the girl. She quickly shut her notebook as he approached her, as if trying to hide something. "Your mother and I have been looking for you everywhere!" The man adjusted the sweater that was tied around his shoulders. His hair, combed back and gelled, seemed slightly frizzled, as if he had been running around.

The girl rolled her amethyst eyes as she took off her sunglasses. "What is it now?"

"You mother wants to see if the alterations on your dress have worked out fine or not. You need to try it on before the Andrews' wedding tonight!"

"Dad!" the girl named Samantha protested, "I don't want to go to anymore of your business partners' special events! And I also _do not _want to wear that dress. It makes me look like some sort of princess or something!"

"Oh but sweetheart, you are a princ-,"

"Don't call me a princess!" she said angrily. "I'm not going!"

The man sighed jadedly. "That's enough of this ridiculous behavior, young lady! Everyone's looking at us! Now you're coming with me and we're going to go try on your dress because you _are _going to the wedding!"

With that, the man marched off, dragging his protesting and reluctant daughter behind him.

Danny stood in still in place for a few moments longer before he shrugged the whole incident away and continued walking. Besides what had just happened, the remainder of the walk proved to be rather uneventful, and Danny eventually just went back up to his room.

He wondered if John had returned yet as he slipped the card key into the slot and waited for the light to turn green. He entered the room, startled to see not only John, but also Judy.

John was sitting cross-legged on the bed closest to the window, his expression worried. Judy had her back facing the door; she was sitting on the edge of the opposing bed.

"Hey Judy! I didn't know you were coming this early," Danny said, oblivious to the nervous atmosphere of the room.

Judy turned to see the boy. "Hey Danny," she sighed, her face relaxing somewhat. "Yeah, we got here earlier than we expected. My sister and I thought there was more to prepare, but I guess we finished pretty quickly." Danny noticed the woman's tone and the expression on both the adults' faces.

"Um, what's going on?" he asked concernedly.

Danny almost jumped back in surprise as the bathroom door opened. Judy couldn't help but laugh.

"Relax Danny. It's just my sister."

"Oh…sorry…I just didn't know someone else was here…" he muttered.

A young lady who looked only two to three years older than Judy emerged from the bathroom.

"Hey Lil', Danny's here!" Judy called from the bed.

"Oh hello! You must be Daniel! Judy's told me all about you dear!" the woman smiled as she took Danny's hand and shook it. "I'm Lily, Judy's older sister...well only by two years though," she smiled.

The only thing similar about the two sisters was their voices; they both had the same sweet sugary manner of speaking. Besides that, there was no other sign that could hint their relation to each other.

Unlike Judy, who was a bit tanned and had dark curly hair that was almost always in a ponytail, Lily was very light-skinned and wore her strawberry-blonde hair down, parted to one side. She was wearing a peach colored dress that complemented her light skin. Her blue eyes sparkled with delight at meeting the boy she'd heard so much about.

"Oh…um, hi. How- How are you?" Danny stammered, a bit taken aback by the lady's enthusiasm.

"Hey Danny," Judy cut in, "We have some leftover food from the trip on the dresser. Dinner won't be for a few hours, so help yourself."

"Uh…thanks…" Danny answered. He made his way to the dresser, and Lily went to rejoin the conversation.

"Anyways. I'm just not sure he's the right choice…" Judy said, continuing what she had been saying before Danny interrupted.

"I know you're worried Judy," John started, "but they've been engaged for two years! I think Carey knows what she's getting into."

"Well I'm not too sure John…Carey's really close to us and we really care about her. I think she's making a mistake with this marriage…"

"In all the years I've known Carey, there's one thing that I learned about her. She's a _terrible _judge of character," Judy said.

"Well, have you tried talking to her about it?" John asked, not too sure what to say.

"Yeah. She just gets mad about it. Weddings bring around stressful times, y'know?" Lily sighed.

"Why didn't you tell her about this earlier? Like, a couple of months ago? It's a bit late now that the wedding's tomorrow," John noted.

"I _did_ try earlier, but she still refused to respond!" Judy said fervently, about to cry. Lily put an arm around her sister and looked at John pleadingly. She was clearly upset about the matter as well, but obviously not as much as her sister.

"Don't worry Judy. I'm sure everything will be fine…you're just stressed about the wedding preps, that's all…" John tried. "Look, how about we go back to your room and you take a little rest or something?"

Judy didn't answer, but it didn't matter seeing as Lily and John dragged her out the door anyways.

_Wow, I've never seen Judy lose it like that before…_Danny thought as he reached for a cookie in the brown paper bag on the dresser. He closed the door of the room and plopped down on one of the beds.

Finding nothing else to do, he picked up the invitation from the night table and began reading it again.

_Hey wait a minute…_Danny thought as he read the names on the invite, _Nicholas Andrews? Isn't that wedding that girl at the pool was going to? _

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**Ooh, _suspense_ :) heehee **

**Anyways, it's not too hard to guess what's gonna happen next lol I really hope to hear your thoughts on this, because as a writer, the readers' feedback is very important to me, not to mention I just enjoy reading your opinions and thoughts:D Till chapter 7,**

**_Crystal_**


	7. The Wedding

**Hey! Here it is; what you've all been waiting for! Dundundundun...The Wedding chappie! Enjoy it!**

**Thanks to KHFREAK14, ShatterMyMuse, MutantLover09, dragon of spirits, Kisho16, DannyTimmygirl327 and Dp fan for reviewing, and also to Cordria for doing the beta-ing for this story!**

**Kay, enjoy:D**

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"Danny! Hurry up in there! I need to shave!" John yelled as he searched through the dresser drawers for his shaving kit. He could barely be heard over the blaring radio.

"Alright, alright!" Danny replied irritatedly, trying to get his belt through the loops in his pants.

_Ugh! First I can't get my shirt's buttons through the little holes and now this!_ he thought frustratedly.

Eventually, after many wearisome tries, Danny finished and left the bathroom.

"Are you finally done?" John asked, his head almost completely immersed in his bag as he dug for something.

"Yeah…finally." Danny said in relief as he clicked off the radio that John had a habit of always turning up too loud.

"Ahaaa!" John cried suddenly, holding a black shaving kit bag. "Found it!" he said proudly. He then quickly locked himself in the bathroom, as if seizing his chance in case Danny decided to go back in.

Danny inspected himself in the mirror next to the TV. Deciding he looked fine, he took a seat at the desk for lack of anything better to do. He felt his stomach twist and churn. Danny didn't know why, but something about the upcoming event was exciting him. Eventually unable to contain his excitement any longer, he decided he'd go see what Judy was up to.

"Hey John?" he called over the sound of a razor as he knocked on the door, "I'm going over to Judy's room, okay?"

"Fine. Stay over there though; I'll be over in a few minutes," John called back.

Danny said okay and left the room. Outside, he walked down the hallway until he came across room 457. He brought his fist up to the door, about to knock, but the sound of loud yells and cries from in the room stopped him.

_What in the world is going on in there?_

Danny waited a moment and then mustered the courage to knock.

"Who is it?" a voice called from inside, almost a full three minutes later.

"Uhm, it's me…Danny."

"The door's open! Come in!"

Danny opened the door with great precaution. His mouth fell open in shock.

If he'd thought it was frantic in his and John's room, then it was _utter chaos_ in Judy's.

Eight bridesmaids were running around the room and fretting over each other like it was the end of the world. A tall blue-eyed blonde was brushing her hair while trying to simultaneously zip up a short-haired brunette in her golden bridesmaid dress. Two other women were arguing about who a certain makeup brush belonged to. A redhead was yelling about a lost necklace and a broken shoe strap while another brunette was peacefully making coffee, oblivious to the high-pitched chaos around her.

Danny had to push his way through the busy and crowded room to finally find the girls he was searching for at the end of the tiny area. Judy sat on the edge of one of the two beds and seemed to be having a nervous breakdown.

"Lilly! It won't fit! I've been trying to zip it for the last ten minutes! It won't fit me!" she cried.

"Relax Judy!" an invisible Lilly called reassuringly from somewhere in the room. "Wait a sec and I'll try to zip it– oh, Danny!" She appeared next to him.

"Hi," he waved tentatively, now wishing he had just stayed in his room. He didn't even know it was possible for such a small area to hold so many people. "Is this a bad time?"

"Um…no it's ok-," she began but stopped suddenly when she heard the sound of something crashing violently down to the floor, and then disappeared once more. Judy didn't even seem to notice Danny in the room.

Danny decided it _was _a bad time and slinked his way out of the commotion.

"Hey what are you doing back here?" John asked once Danny had returned to his own room. "I thought you were gonna wait for me at Judy's…"

"Trust me, it's _not _a good time."

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"And do you, Carey Michaels, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband…"

Danny zoned out once more. _This has got to be the most boring event on earth…_ He set his elbows on his knees and let his face fall onto his palms. He felt John prod him in the side, gesturing for him to stand up. He reluctantly did so.

Deciding he couldn't bear another minute of listening to the droning speech, Danny focused his attention on the decorations, hoping that by the time he'd finished examining every little detail of the decor, the wedding would be over.

What seemed like centuries later, John and Danny were dragging themselves out into the heat again, heading for the car.

"Ok, here's the plan; we'll go back to the hotel and eat or rest or whatever, and then at around five-ish, we'll head for the reception." John said, sitting in the driver's seat and turning on the engine.

"If the reception's anything like the wedding, I'm not going." Danny said firmly, making John laugh.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad. At least you don't have to shake everyone's hand at the end like the bride and groom do."

"It doesn't matter. It was still boring." Danny said as he accidentally burned his hand on the blistering metal part of his seatbelt. Shifting in his seat until he was comfortable, he let his head fall back onto the headrest as the images of a nice _cold_ shower awaiting him in his room filled his mind.

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The tall grey-haired businessman adjusted his tie as he looked in the bathroom mirror.

"I despise having to attend these social events." he thought to himself. He had been able to temporarily escape the tediousness that was the reception. "Why did I ever agree to letting them have it at my house?"

He wasted a few more minutes of doing nothing in the restroom, then finally emerged at the risk of raising suspicion among the others. He made his way back into the ballroom.

He detested the loud music that was blaring from the giant speakers in his mansion's ballroom. The guests were a bore, (or at least to him anyways), and he was just about ready to snap at the next waiter who asked him if we would like a cream puff.

_I think I'm just about ready to turn in for the nig-, wait a minute, wait just a minute!_ The man almost rubbed his eyes in disbelief._ NO! That can't be right! That is absolutely NOT who I think it is! _He screamed in his mind. Bobbing his head and pushing past guests to get a better look, the man's eyes opened wide as he watched a familiar figure make his way over to the dessert table and begin talking to someone.

A swelling excitement built up inside the man as a large cool smile spread over his face.

_I'd know those messy wavy brown locks anywhere. That is most definitely the man I'm looking for…which means he must have the **boy** I'm looking for._

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Danny poked at the chicken and salad on his plate. John had left him a little while ago to talk to some old friends.

Deciding he wasn't feeling very hungry anymore, Danny rose and made his way to the bathroom. Most of the guests were on the dance floor so the lights were dimmed. A loud dance song blasted in the background as Danny tried to find his way out of the room without tripping or colliding into anyone. Suddenly, he felt someone bump into him, falling in his arms.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" a girl said quickly as she found her way out of Danny's grip. She stood up straight and dusted her dress with her palms. "Thank you so much- I'm a, I'm really sorry." She looked embarrassed.

"Oh…um it's okay." Danny said as he watched her brush a strand of jet-black hair from her face.

_Hey wait a minute…_ Danny realized something as the girl moved a little into the light, _this is the same girl from the poolside yesterday…_

He was surprised to see her wearing a long pink flowing shoulder dress, the strap embroidered with flowers and sequins. A large sparkling black sash was tied in a bow around her waist. It didn't seem to suit her style, according to what he'd seen her wearing at the pool.

_Maybe that's why she was so reluctant to wear it…She looks good though._ He thought.

"Um, I'm Danny." he said, trying to be polite.

"I'm Sam," the girl smiled happily. She seemed pleased to find someone to talk to, as was Danny.

"Uh, you wanna sit, or something?" Danny asked.

"Sure, got nothing better to do," she smiled as she led them over to an empty table.

"So I guess your parents know Carey or Nick, right?" she asked as they both took a seat.

"Yeah, I guess." Danny said, not willing to elaborate.

"Cool. My dad is a business partner with Nick so I'm not really here by my own will," she sighed.

"That sucks," Danny said sympathetically. "How old are you?" He almost slapped himself for saying something so stupid and out of subject.

"Me?" Sam asked, slightly thrown off. "I'm fourteen. You?"

"Yeah, uhm, me too," he smiled. He still felt idiotic, but he was thrilled to know he had finally found someone his own age to talk to.

"So is this your first wedding? I mean, the first one you've been to," he corrected himself quickly, earning a laugh from Sam.

"No. Unfortunately, I'm always being dragged around to these social events. My dad's a lawyer and he does business with just about everyone in the world, even his opponents," she sighed. "I really do just wanna go back to the Royale."

"You're staying at the Royale hotel?" Danny asked, excited for some unidentifiable reason. "That's where I'm staying." He hadn't realized that she _must_'ve been staying there if he'd seen her at the pool earlier.

"Cool. So you're not from here either then, huh?"

"No. How long are you staying in Wisconsin?" Danny asked, hoping to find out if the girl would be staying at the hotel that night.

"I dunno. We're probably leaving tomorrow afternoon or something. It depends when my parents send for the jet," the girl said casually before covering her mouth at her slip.

"Send for the jet?" Danny asked in surprise. "You own a jet?"

"Oh…um…" she stammered, looking for an excuse, but soon sighed in defeat, "Yes… I do. Well, my family does anyways."

After shaking off the slight shock of the news that people could actually _own _jets, Danny asked, "Well, why do you look so upset about it?"

"I dunno…I just hate people knowing I'm rich. They think it's so cool and stuff, but it's not. I don't want people to only talk to me because I have money."

"That's not why I'm talking to you." Danny said, seeing how vexed the girl was. "I'm talking to you because I think you're cool."

She smiled at him. "Thanks. You're pretty great yourself."

He smiled back at her. Sam laughed as he jerked in surprise at the feeling of someone suddenly clutching his shoulder.

"Hey Danny, one of Carey's friends wants to meet you," John said, hurrying Danny from his seat and trying to drag him to said person.

Danny tried to apologize to Sam but she smiled understandingly. "It's okay, I understand completely. I'll see ya around."

He smiled in response as she turned away.

"What's the big idea?" Danny said, annoyed at the interruption. "Since when do you want people to meet me anyways?"

"Oh come on! Don't be such a drag!" John said uncharacteristically.

_I'll bet the party's getting to him. Judy says he always gets worked up at big social events…_

"Besides, this guy is Carey's friend and he's the host of the reception. He lives all the way out here; you probably won't see him again so it's not a big deal."

"Whatever." Danny grunted. "Why does he want to meet me?"

"Apparently Carey told him about you, so he asked me to let him meet you."

"Fine." Danny said shortly.

"Ah! There he is!" John exclaimed, making his way over to a tall grey-haired man in a black suit.

"So, this is Daniel?" the man said, a large smile on his face. The voice seemed slightly familiar to Danny, but he couldn't remember from where.

"Um, hello," Danny said uncertainly.

"How old are you Daniel?" the man asked. He sounded as though he were speaking to a toddler.

"Fourteen…"

"How very interesting…" he said with a strange, undecipherable smile. "So John is your father?"

Danny was slightly taken aback by this, but was spared from having to answer thanks to John's intervention.

"Oh-uh…so Vlad, when did you, uh, you know, buy the Packers?"

After this, the conversation shifted from Mr. Masters and Danny to the former and John. Vlad Masters seemed very interested in telling his life story, but Danny couldn't help but notice the man's constant glances in his direction. He was thankful when John finally said they needed to head back to the hotel.

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"Well that Vlad certainly was nice." John said as he threw his tie onto his bag.

"Don't you think he was a bit out of line, asking me if you were my dad?" Danny noted, annoyed.

"Oh come on Danny, it's not like he knew it was, y'know, 'out of line'. You can't expect everyone to know of your...well, your 'life situation.' Just like you don't know of everyone else's."

"I guess. He was still acting a little bit _too_ interested…" the raven-haired teen said suspiciously.

"C'mon Dan, don't be so uptight."

"Fine, whatever," Danny said uncaringly. His mind was now preoccupied with a certain someone named Sam.

"Hey Danny, would you go get us some ice?"

"Huh?" Danny snapped out of his very short reverie.

"We need some ice from the machine. It's just down the hall; could you please get some?"

Danny sighed as he rose from his chair. "Sure," he said, taking the ice bucket in his hand and closing the door behind him.

He headed for the machine at the other end of the hall and began filling the plastic bucket.

Over the loud sound of the falling ice, Danny almost didn't hear his name being called. He turned to see none other than Sam, dressed in black satin pyjamas and calling his name.

"Oh, Sam!" he said in surprise.

"Hey!" she said, running over to him.

"Hey! You're room's on this floor?" he asked.

"No, but we don't have an ice machine on the fifth floor; we have a soda machine. I needed some ice for my pop though, so I came down here to get it."

"Oh, okay. So what room number are you?" Danny asked.

"Well I'm in a different room than my parents," she said. "I think it's five forty-two."

"Different room than your parents?"

"Yeah, well we booked late and there weren't any rooms that were big enough for three people, so we had to settle for two completely different rooms," she said, not at all upset by this.

Danny nodded.

"Anyways, I guess I'd better get back upstairs," she smiled her beautiful smile as she finished filling her ice bucket. Danny nodded again, but he was secretly disappointed she couldn't stay longer.

"I'll see you around." And with that she turned around and left. Danny stood in place for several moments after, before he finally thought,

_Room five forty-two, huh?_

_-------------------------------------------------_

**Uh oh! What's Danny up to? lol (Btw, for all who are concerned, it has nothing to do with lemoniness or obscene/adult matters, cuz as I said before, there's no explicit content in this story... or in any of my stories really... :D ) **

**Anyways, I really enjoyed writing this chapter; I'm real excited to hear what you guys thought about it! **

**_Crystal_**


	8. Midnight Visit

**This one's for all the DXS shippers out there!**

**Thanks to: AnimeWildfire, DannyTimmygirl327, Dpfan, Kisho 16, MutantLover09, blondecrazything, dragon of spirits and ShatterMyMuse for reviewing. I also thank everyone who alerted or faved this story. You guys all rock!**

**Enjoy!**

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Danny tossed and turned in the dark, unable to fall asleep. He checked his watch.

_10:26…perfect._

Danny threw off his covers and slipped on his shoes and a T-shirt. He didn't have to worry about waking up John; the snoring coming from the other end of the room was concrete evidence that the young man was fast asleep.

Quietly creeping out of the room, Danny silently closed the door.

_Room five forty-two, room five forty-two, room five forty-two, room five forty-two… _Danny repeated the words in his head all the way to the elevator so he'd remember the number. But as the elevator doors opened and he stepped in, he began to have second thoughts.

_What if she's asleep? What if she doesn't want to see me? What if_… The 'what ifs' continued all the way to the fifth floor, where he finally decided that he'd gone too far to turn back. Besides, he just couldn't bear the thought of never seeing the girl again. Her smile, her laugh, her words. Those would possibly be the last ones he'd ever hear or see from a girl his age, and he wanted one more chance to experience it. 

She was such a beautiful person. He had no idea what was so attractive about her, but something just made him want to be with her forever. Even her name was beautiful. _Sam. _

_Okay, this is it…_ Danny took in a deep breath as he knocked on the door.

He could almost feel her uneasiness in opening the door.

_She's probably wondering who in the world is knocking at her door at this hour. _Danny thought.

"Yes-," she began, but stopped abruptly when she saw Danny standing before her doorway. He smiled sheepishly and waved.

"Danny? What are you doing here?" she asked, startled.

_Danny._ He only just realized it, but even the way she said his name was incredible.

"I…uh…I wanted to see you. Again. I mean, I wanted to talk to you and-,"

A blushing Sam cut him off. "That's kind of funny," she began, but then stopped when she saw Danny almost smack himself, as if he were stupid for coming, "No! No, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant it's funny because I kinda wanted to talk to you too, and…" she trailed off.

Danny almost wiped his forehead in relief, but stopped himself. Sam caught the action and laughed. She let him in the room and cleared the paraphernalia of art supplies and notebooks off her bed to make a sitting space.

"What's this?" Danny said, picking up a sketchpad she'd accidentally dropped.

The girl's eyes opened wide and she quickly snatched the open pad from Danny's hands. "It's nothing," she said hurriedly, stuffing it into a drawer, though not before Danny noticed a doodle of a certain raven-haired boy. He smiled to himself.

"So, what's going on?" Danny asked for lack of better subject matter. He sat on the bed parallel to Sam's.

"You know," Sam said with a devious laugh, ignoring his question, "I'd be in so much trouble if my parents found out about this."

Danny laughed too. From there, they began talking about…everything. Danny learned that Sam lived in the same town as him, quite close to his apartment in fact. There wasn't a subject left uncovered in their conversation. Before they knew it, it was one a.m.

"Hey, are you even tired?" Sam asked.

"Not really…"

"Yeah, me neither. But I sure would like some hot chocolate or something," she mused.

"Well, there're some packets and hot water downstairs. In the breakfast buffet area." Danny said.

As if reading each other's minds, the two teens rose from the beds and scrambled to the elevator. They then quietly made their way to the buffet tables that were in the room connected to the lobby. The plastic containers which usually held fresh bread and muffins in the mornings were empty, but they spotted a small basket which held several tea bags and hot chocolate packets. Thankfully, the water was still hot, so they were able to make themselves a decent drink.

After finishing, the two of them made their way back upstairs. Several hotel staff members bumped into them along the way, looking both annoyed and skeptical at whether the two had any parental authorization to be up and running about the hotel at that hour.

Once they had entered the elevator, Sam noted that they should probably get some shut-eye. Danny's only comfort to this was the fact that she looked just as disappointed as him.

"So, uh…maybe I'll see you around town sometime?" Sam asked hopefully as she pressed the button for the fourth floor.

"Yeah. I hope so." Danny managed a smile, upset that he hadn't had more time to talk to her.

"Well, this is your floor then." Sam pointed out.

"Yeah…uh, I'll see you around?" Danny asked as he stepped out of the elevator.

"Yeah, for sure." She smiled and waved goodbye as the doors closed. A lifting sentiment of delight spread over Danny as he made his way back to room 422.

He slipped his hand in his pocket to pull out his key, but didn't feel the rectangular card. A sudden feeling of panic swept over him as he searched both pockets but found nothing. Thinking back, Danny realized that he'd forgotten to take John's key before leaving the room…

_Uh oh… _

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At least half an hour had passed since Danny had been sitting outside his room, feeling completely helpless.

_I'm going to be in SO MUCH trouble when John wakes up…I've gotta think of an excuse or something…come on Danny, think, think!_ He rushed himself. He'd given up on finding a way into the room; there was no way he'd make it back in before his guardian awoke.

He desperately fiddled with the lock of the door, as if hoping that by doing so he could open it. As his fingers played with the metal on the door, he noticed something strange. They were glowing…a neon shade of green. Thinking it had something to do with the door itself, Danny quickly removed his hands from the lock. However, they didn't change colour.

"What the…" he trailed off as the colour now began creating a slimy-looking outline around his fingers. Actually, it reminded him of something…Yes! When he'd thrown up a few days ago! It looked just like this…

Suddenly, a magnetic-like force pulled Danny back towards the door. His fingers began moving uncontrollably, against his will. They continued glowing green as they fingered the lock, trying to do something…_trying to open it? _Danny thought incredulously.

For some reason, Danny didn't panic as much as one would have expected. He was just…_confused_. Somehow, the feeling that he'd seen this substance before, and the fact that the door now slowly creaked open and his fingers had returned to normal, were all enough to reassure him that he would be okay.

Refusing to mull over this, not only because he decided it would overshadow his recent blissful experience with Sam, but also because he was beginning to feel very tired, Danny quickly and quietly made his way back to his bed, knowing he'd dwell on the incident tomorrow.

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**I know it was a bit short, but hey, it's an update! lol Hope you enjoyed!**

**_Crystal_**


	9. Back at Home

**An update? Really? Yay! Aren't you guys just so lucky:D**

**Okay, this chapter's sorta filler...but not really. I mean it's important, it's just not vital, (but it has vital parts _throughout_ it though)...and it's pretty short...did that make any sense? Oh well, I'm pretty much done rambling, and you guys probably wanna get on with reading, so I'll stop. Enjoy the chapter, and please don't forget about the little purple button that lets you leave a review on your way out! heehee :D**

**Thanks to zzxz, DannyTimmygirl327, MutantLover09, blondecrazything, dragon of spirits, goth.one, Anime Wildfire, Kisho16, ShatterMyMuse and Dpfan for reviewing chapter 8! You guys are all great:)**

**Happy reading!**

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_I've found him Maddie. I've finally found him," the voice whispered tenderly, gently taking the unconscious woman's hand. She lay sprawled on the ground of the dirty, musty dungeon._

_The caped ghost brushed a strand of auburn hair from the woman's face. _

"_You don't have to worry about him anymore, my love. I've finally found him," he said. Then, his voice turning a determined tone of evil hatred, he muttered, "And this time, I don't intend on losing him."_

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Danny heaved the last bag into the trunk of the car. John closed the trunk as Danny made his way to his seat. The engine started up and they were soon on their way back home.

Danny sat unmoving in his seat, staring absent-mindedly out the window.

_What in the world happened yesterday? _He thought to himself. He had to admit he was a bit scared by the incident, but what shocked him even more was the fact that he'd so calmly and blatantly accepted the odd event. _It's almost as if someone else was in my body…someone who was okay with the fact that my __**hands turned green…**_

"You okay sport?" John asked Danny, snapping the teen out of his trance.

"Hm? Yeah…I guess. Are we almost there?"

Danny didn't wait for an answer as he once again zoned out. _Maybe it was a dream? Yeah! I bet that was it! It was a dream, just a really weird dream… _he decided, though obviously not entirely convinced. After all, if it was a dream, then how did he get back inside the room? He was sad to think that maybe the _whole _night was a dream, even the part with Sam. He wanted to believe at least thatpart was real…

_Maybe it's some sort of condition…Of course John won't take me to the doctor, so there's no point in telling him. Maybe I'll just check out the symptoms on the Internet when we get back home. _

As an attempt to escape all his troublesome thoughts, Danny spent the rest of the drive home sleeping.

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Danny spent the majority of the next few days in bed. He was a bit worn out from the trip (he can't really be blamed, it was his first and biggest trip ever), not to mention the fact that he had caught a very severe cold.

"Jod?" he called tiredly from his bed.

"What is it Danny?"

"Soub?" Danny replied feebly, unable to ask the full question.

"Okay, I'm coming."

A few minutes later, John entered Danny's room, holding a bowl of steaming chicken soup.

"Need anything else?" he asked, putting the hot plate on Danny's night table. Danny shook his head.

"Okay well, call if you need me," he said, whisking the other dirty plates away to the kitchen.

Danny tried to sit up so he could eat, but found himself too weak to even do that.

_I don't think I've ever felt worse in my entire life…_he thought to himself, sniffling a little. He had no idea where he'd caught the cold, but he definitely wasn't too happy about it.

Little did he know, this was only the beginning; the worse was yet to come.

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"Feeling better?" Judy asked Danny over the phone.

"Oh yeah. Loads." Danny replied happily. His cold had gradually disappeared over the following days and he was feeling much better. "When are you coming over?" he asked. Being accustomed to Judy constantly staying at the apartment, it was strange for Danny to have not seen her in so many days.

"I'll be over tomorrow," she said conversationally, "y'know to help out."

"Help out? With what?" Danny asked casually.

"Hm? Oh, you know, that _Chang_ woman is coming tomorrow." She spoke the word 'Chang' with great dislike. "John asked me to be there."

Danny was slightly shocked at hearing this. With all the recent hectic chaos, he had somehow managed to actually forget about the social worker's visit.

"Oh…" was all Danny could say in response.

"Okay, I got to go hun. Tell John I'll call him later, okay?" Judy said before hanging up.

Danny sat still on the couch, suddenly feeling depressed.

_I can't believe I forgot about that…_he thought nervously, wondering what would happen during the visit scheduled for the following day. Would the lady let him stay with John? Danny couldn't bear the thought of being shipped off to some orphanage, where he would wait like a dog at a shelter to be taken home by a pair of complete strangers.

Just at that moment, John walked in, carrying a large envelope with Danny's name on it.

"What's that?" the raven-haired teen asked, intrigued.

John hid the envelope behind his back before replying unconvincingly, "Oh, nothing important."

"If it's so unimportant then why are you hiding it from me?" Danny said, trying to distract his guardian as he made a grab for the envelope.

"Ha! Got it!" he joked smugly, holding the papers triumphantly.

John sighed and rolled his eyes with a smile. "Fine. Look at it if you want. I just don't think it'll really interest you."

Danny carefully opened the envelope and slipped the papers out of the pocket, but not without noticing the cover first. Beside his first name, a question mark had been scribbled.

_What's that for? _he wondered.

John seemed to notice Danny's realization because he said, "It's instead of your last name. They put a question mark because we don't, uhem, well, we don't exactly know you're last name."

"Oh…yeah," Danny replied awkwardly.

_Great. Just what I need, more social worker stuff…_

"She's uh, coming tomorrow by the way." John began uncomfortably, "Y'know, the uh, soc-,"

"I know, Judy told me." Danny interrupted, his eyes never leaving the paper. He examined the three sheets that he'd removed from the envelope. Skimming through them, he felt his heart sink. It was a document explaining the procedures of the visit and what would happen afterwards, notably if the guardian was deemed unfit for the child in question. Danny already knew about all this, but somehow, seeing it all on paper just solidified the matter. It made it all seem so much more real. The possibility was there; Danny really_ could _be taken away, against his will. "John, what does this lady have to see to leave us alone?"

"I'm not sure. She just has to make sure you're safe and in good hands. I mean, I basically broke the law by taking you in. That's serious, Dan."

"Does that mean you're going to get in trouble?" Danny sounded so naïve, like a little child. "With the law, I mean."

"Well, no. They said since it was clear that I meant no harm and was just trying to help by taking you in, they would let it go." John sighed before continuing with the bad news, "That won't make the judge go any softer on the matter of custody however."

"Well why did you?" Danny asked. John looked so confused that Danny had to repeat the question.

"Why did you take me in?" Danny wouldn't take his eyes off John until he received an answer, even though he could clearly see his guardian squirming.

"Aren't you happy I took you in, Danny? Did you want me to leave you out in the streets?"

"No…but you didn't just _take me in, _you saved me." Danny didn't know what had possessed him to say it right then, but he felt it was a subject that needed to be addressed at some point or another.

John looked at him blankly.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about John. I heard you that night, when you were talking to Judy. You said I was in danger, so you took me in. You saved me. Why did you save me? Why was I in danger? I want to know John! I need to know!" Danny pleaded, frustrated at his guardian's lack of cooperation.

John looked as though he would've preferred for a bolt of lightning to strike the ceiling right then and there than to be in his current position. Luckily for him, the phone rang at that precise moment. Even though it was probably Judy, John pretended it was an important call and ushered Danny away. Danny left to his room with a sigh.

_Maybe I was born an alien…maybe that's why no one seems to know anything about me…_ he thought desperately as he closed his door and threw himself on the bed.

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	10. The Social Worker

**Oh man; when's the last time I updated? It's like a vague memory lol. Anyways, I have a killer headache (and sitting in front of the computer reallly isn't helping), and I really need to get some sleep, but I really wanted to get this one up for you guys today :D So enjoy!**

**Thanks to: MutantLover09, DP fan, ShatterMyMuse, DannyTimmygirl327, goth.one, Kisho16, dragon of spirits, blondecrazything and Anime Wildfire. You guys rock! Thanks also to Cordria for beta-ing this!**

**PS. Sorry if my next update takes awhile; I'm not giving up on this story or anything, it's just a bit of writer's block. Anyways, enjoy chapter 10!**

* * *

Danny sat at the table the next morning, sullenly picking at his cereal. He hadn't wanted any food at all, but Judy was forcing him to eat something. 

"Are you okay out there Danny?" Judy called from the kitchen, not hearing the spoon hit the plate as many times as she would've liked.

"I don't know…" Danny sighed, his energy gradually decreasing.

Judy appeared from the kitchen, holding a towel in her hand. "Well, would you like something different to eat?" she asked.

"No offense Judy, but if you were about to be visited by a _social worker_ you wouldn't be too hungry either."

"Aw, I know, sweetie. What would make you feel better, then?" she asked, wanting desperately to help the boy.

"Some fresh air…a walk…" Danny said, looking out the window longingly, wishing that the idea wasn't completely insane.

It clearly was, because John firmly called from the bookshelf he was dusting and organizing, "No. You're not allowed to go out and you know it Danny."

Danny literally banged his head onto the table.

"Come on John! You owe him that much! Just a quick twenty-minute walk outside. Please?" Judy begged on Danny's behalf.

"No."

"Jonathan Timbers, you let this young man go outside and _breathe _a little! This is completely unfair! I've stuck to your ridiculous routine for so many years now, and it's about time I let you know that it is extremely unhealthy to deprive a growing child of something so basic as oxygen! Especially on a day like this!" she said angrily.

"Fine." Everyone in the room, including John, was surprised at the little word that came from the guardian's mouth. He sighed softly and repeated it.

"Fine. Go ahead Danny. You deserve it for putting up with this for twelve years. Go."

John seemed reluctant, but stuck to his hasty decision. Judy was right. Today was **not** the right day to have Danny looking pale and sick. John would do _anything_ to help his chances of keeping Danny. _Besides, _John thought, _It's not like he'll actually have a chance of running into __**him**__, especially after so many years. _

"Are you serious? Thank you so much!" Danny cried happily. He didn't waste a single moment in getting his jacket and putting on his sneakers. He almost hugged his guardian in delight, but quickly caught himself and contented both John and himself with an awkward and completely out-of-place handshake. Judy stood back in the corner, trying to stifle giggles while she watched the scene.

"Just make sure you're back before 1:30," John said, pointing to Danny's watch. Danny nodded.

As soon as the boy was ready, he looked at both adults, and then, as if leaving on a great journey, said, "Well…I'll see you soon!"

Then, smiling and relishing every moment and feeling, from the creaking of the closing door to the squeak of his shoes against the floor, Danny made his way outside the apartment.

* * *

Judy was right. The fresh air was doing him good. He felt relaxed and content. _Wow. I can't believe John actually let me go out like this! _He thought happily as he enjoyed his walk in the park. 

On the other side of the large grassy area there was a much bigger, richer neighborhood. Danny walked a little further, venturing into the depths of the greenery, and finally found a swing set on which he took a seat. Before long, Danny was unconsciously swinging high into the air, savoring every gulp of fresh air that penetrated his lungs. Suddenly, he felt someone grasp the chains that attached the swing to the structure. He skidded to an abrupt halt.

"Hi," a familiar voice said. Danny squeezed his eyes shut as he slowly turned his head; his heart skipped a beat.

"Sam?" he asked.

"You know, you _can _open your eyes now," she laughed.

Danny blushed as he opened his eyes. (Well, it wasn't really his fault…it was his first time out on his own and he had no better way of defending himself).

"Hi…" he smiled.

"Wow, I knew we lived close, but not this close," she giggled.

Danny smiled. _She's cute when she giggles…_he thought as he stared at her.

"Danny?" she waved her hand in front the boy's face.

"Huh?" he snapped out of his daze and cleared his throat. "Oh…yeah. Me neither. Where do you live?"

"Right over there," Sam replied as she pointed to the neighbourhood on the right side of the park. She then asked where Danny lived.

"Um, the other side of the park. Over there." Danny pointed to the houses on the left.

Sam looked startled. "Oh," she said simply.

"What?" Danny asked.

"Um…nothing. I just think it's cool we live so close," she grinned.

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "So…what're you doing out here?"

"Well, I just needed to blow off some steam, so I thought I'd go for a walk. My parents kind of…well, never mind," she trailed off.

"What?" Danny questioned, interested.

"No, it's okay. I don't want to bore you with my problems."

"It's not a bore!" Danny insisted. "Come on, I don't mind."

"Well, I don't know…"

"Come on, if there's anything I know, it's that keeping it bottled up inside is the _worst _thing you can do," Danny said truthfully.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Sam asked.

Danny nodded, and so Sam began her story. She began ranting and raving about how her parents never gave her any space and couldn't respect her individuality. She told Danny about how they wouldn't even let her go to the Circus Gothica that was coming to town that week.

When she had finished, she gave an abrupt sigh. "Whoa, that does feel better," she smiled.

"Glad I could help," Danny grinned, "And I think you're right; you do have a right to your own style. It's hard to convince parents of things like that though…"

"Have you ever had problems like that?" Sam asked curiously.

"Well…not exactly. But you know, I've had my share of problems…" _Too bad they're not over yet…_Danny thought.

"Oh, I see." There was a short silence before she asked, "Um, are you in a hurry?"

"No, why?" Danny replied without realizing that he was giving the girl false information.

"Well, I was just thinking…if you wanted, maybe we could go get some ice cream?"

"Sure!" he said excitedly, completely forgetting his one-thirty 'curfew'.

"Great!" Sam seemed relieved that Danny had agreed, and took his hand excitedly, leading him out of the park. "It's just this way," she said as she pointed to a currently undetectable ice cream shop down the road, "I discovered it about a year ago. They make the _best _vegan ice cream and pastries!"

"You're vegan?" Danny asked.

"Well, ultra-recyclo vegetarian," Sam corrected. She suddenly noticed she was holding onto Danny's hand and let go with a small blush. Danny's face reddened slightly, and after a few moments, Sam hastily led the way down the road.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want anything else?" Sam asked, looking at Danny's meager fraction of a brownie. 

"Oh yeah, I'm positive," he insisted, "I had a big breakfast." It was a lie, but it was all he could afford with the loose change he'd found in his pocket.

"Okay, favorite movie?" Sam said as she took a seat at a table outside the Ice Cream Shoppe.

Danny looked at her in puzzlement.

Sam laughed at the clueless look on his face. "What's your favorite movie?" she repeated.

"Oh!" Danny flushed. "Um…I would have to say, Apollo 13."

"An astronaut movie?"

"I've always wanted to be an astronaut," he shrugged.

"Hmm, sounds ambitious." Sam sounded impressed.

"Well, what about you?"

"Nah, you'll just laugh," Sam grinned embarrassedly as she shrunk back.

"C'mon!" Danny urged playfully.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Promise." he said solemnly.

"Okay…well, there are two. _Shakespeare In Love _and _Titanic_."

Danny stifled a laugh.

"I know, I know," Sam rolled her eyes good-humoredly, "It's too romantic for me, huh?"

Danny smiled. "No…of course not…it's just…unexpected." Sam gave him a playful push.

Danny, getting into the spirit of the game, asked, "Okay, how about…most self-defining song?"

"Hmm…the song that defines me, huh?" Sam thought intently for a moment before replying confidently, "_Blurry_, by Puddle of Mudd."

"Never heard it…" Danny said pensively.

"You?"

"Hm…I'd have to say…_Away from the Sun_, by 3 Doors Down."

"Hmm, sounds…angsty…"

"_Angsty_? Is that a word?" Danny teased.

"Mmm, it's in my life vocabulary," Sam laughed as she took a spoonful of ice cream. She felt a drop of cold ice cream on her nose and looked at it cross-eyed.

Danny chuckled at the cute sight as he leaned across the table to wipe the ice cream off her nose with a napkin. She blushed furiously, but seemed pleased. The feeling was mutual.

"So," she tried to change the subject to cover up the awkward moment that followed, "You know what's funny?"

"What?" Danny asked, his face still a bit red, but not without a smile.

"Well, it's weird that we've lived so close for so long, and we get along so well with each other, but we met in a completely different state," she grinned.

"Yeah…and we keep meeting up too…"

"It's almost like some incredibly planned coincidence," she laughed.

"Well, not that I mind it," Danny said.

"Of course not, I think it's awesome." Sam took her last spoonful of ice cream, but then caught a glance of her watch. "Oh man! Already?"

"What's wrong?" Danny asked.

"I'm supposed to be home in fifteen minutes. We're having guests over," she sighed before elaborating, "Y'know where the reception for Carey and Nick's wedding was?" Danny nodded. "It's that Vlad Masters guy who owns the house. He wants my dad to be his lawyer or something. I don't know why _I _have to be there," she said, annoyed, "but I couldn't weasel out of it."

"Oh, so I guess we better go then…" Danny said, not even slightly reminded of his own appointment after hearing about Sam's.

Each taking their jackets, the two teens rose and made for home.

* * *

They mounted the old marble front steps of the apartment building that Danny had so rarely left in his twelve years of its occupation. Sam almost tripped on a crack in the fourth step, but Danny quickly stretched out his arm and caught her. 

"Yeah, you gotta be careful about that one step," he said, trying to lessen her obvious embarrassment. She murmured something in agreement.

They continued down a flowery walkway until they reached the entrance door.

"Um, ok…I guess I'll see you around then? I mean, know that we know how close we live," Sam said.

"Sure," Danny confirmed.

He looked around awkwardly, unsure of what to do, but then Sam pulled him into a friendly hug. Though startled, Danny couldn't help but smile. They eventually separated from the embrace, and with a small wave, they each went their own separate ways.

Danny entered the building and slipped his hand in his pocket, reaching for his key. He opened the second door that led to the elevator, and headed off to the lifts with a large grin, completely oblivious to what was awaiting him upstairs.

* * *

Danny searched for his apartment key in his jacket pocket. Finding nothing, he rang the doorbell. He heard the heavy sound of running footsteps approaching the door; Judy opened for him. Behind her stood John as well as another figure Danny couldn't quite make out. Danny greeted John and Judy as he entered, but then stopped abruptly as he realized who stood behind John. 

Even though he hadn't been introduced, Danny could tell who the lady was by the clipboard in her hand and the nervous looks on Judy and John's faces.

"Hello Daniel. I'm Ms. Julia Chang," the fair-skinned young lady said as she took the boy's hand. Danny felt his heart jump in his throat the moment she introduced herself. He shook her hand, though somewhat limply.

Though Danny was a little worried about being late for the appointment, he was more concerned about the fact that he was standing in front of the person who would determine his very future, and yet had no idea how to act or what to say. He felt his throat tighten as she resumed speech, completely ignoring his late entrance.

"So Daniel, as I was explaining to John and Judy earlier, I'm going to take a tour around the apartment to see if it's suitable for you. Then I'll be asking you and John and Judy some questions, separately of course. Actually, we were just about to begin, so…" Ms. Chang gestured toward John as if waiting for him to do something.

John nodded briskly and led the group into the kitchen, where he began explaining something to Julia. Danny had stopped listening. He began trembling slightly and his hands became clammy and cold. He felt his head begin throbbing and was having slight trouble keeping his balance. Judy must have noticed this because she stayed near Danny throughout the whole visit, sometimes putting her arm around him for comfort or support, (both moral and physical). However, John seemed quite distant from the boy. He tried to stay as far away as possible from Danny and even avoided eye contact with him.

Eventually, when Ms. Chang had visited all the rooms in the residence, John led them back to the living room.

"Alright," the social worker said, still scribbling on her clipboard, "I'm going to need to interrogate you each individually, staring with John and Judy. Daniel, could you please go wait in your room until we're done?" she asked arrogantly.

Danny felt a wave of great dislike for the woman pass over him, but did as he was asked.

Sitting nervously on his bed, Danny tried to guess the questions he would be asked ahead of time so he could prepare his answers. Eventually, Judy came in the room and silently beckoned for Danny to follow her.

"Just remember," she whispered before leading him out to the hallway, "Try to stay positive. That's your best guarantee for her approval of John's custody." Danny nodded and took a deep breath as he walked into the living room and sat on the couch across the woman.

She scrawled on her clipboard for a few more seconds, almost as if _trying_ to make Danny nervous. Finally, she looked up from her papers and smiled. "Well Daniel, I just have a few questions to ask you and then you'll be free to go, alright?" She tried to be sweet and comforting, but only succeeded in adding to Danny's stress and pressure. "So, what's it like living with John?" she began.

Danny looked at her for a few moments, expecting her to elaborate. When she didn't, he cleared his throat and began.

"Well, John's really great," he hesitated at first, but soon gained confidence, "He works really hard, he makes sure I do the same with my studies. He's fair and he makes sure I have fun."

"I see," Julia said as she noted something on her infamous clipboard. "And do you like it here?"

"Yes," Danny replied confidently.

"So if John is your guardian, who exactly is Judy?"

"Oh, Judy? She's great. She's John's friend and she comes over sometimes to help out. She's really great company," Danny said.

The social worker proceeded to ask a few questions about Danny's home schooling and regular living habits, such as how many hours of sleep he got, or how many times a week he had dinner with his guardian.

Finally, when the woman had finished taunting Danny with her clipboard, notes and questions, she asked him to go call Judy and John. Danny gladly did so.

A few minutes later, the three adults and the teen were standing at the front door, waiting for Julia to leave.

"Well thank you for the visit," she said briskly as she adjusted her purse on her shoulder, "You will be receiving a letter in the mail concerning the next step of the procedure."

John nodded silently and with a parting wave, Ms. Chang was gone. Danny immediately relaxed when the lady left, and so did Judy, who closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. John locked the door behind the social worker.

"Hey John, when is the let-," Danny began his question casually, but stopped the moment John turned around.

Upon seeing the expression on his guardian's face, Danny felt the tension in the room suddenly mount once more. John's eyes were narrowed and his face was flushed. He stood still for a few moments, glaring at Danny, until finally, he exploded.

"WHERE IN THE WORLD WERE YOU?!"

Danny jumped back slightly in astonishment, his eyes widening in confusion. Judy was standing near him, biting her fingernails and cringing.

_What the…? _

"DO YOU HAVE _ANY _IDEA WHAT YOU JUST DID?" he bellowed.

Danny was too stunned to reply. He stood motionless in place, completely and utterly bewildered by his guardian's uncharacteristic behavior.

"DO YOU _WANT _TO GO TO AN ORPHANAGE OR SOMETHING? IS THAT WHY YOU-," John was cut off by Judy who was giving him a pleading look from behind Danny. John sighed, closed his eyes and then started over, with an only somewhat calmer pitch than before.

"Do you know what you just did?" he asked abrasively, the tone of potential exploding anger lying under his voice. Danny decided he had been less scared when his guardian was yelling. "You were fifty minutes late! That's almost an hour! Where were you?"

"I was out and I-." Danny was cut off.

"Do you know how hard it was for me and Judy to stall that lady until you came home? I said twenty minutes! You were allowed to go out for _twenty _minutes! What kind of impression do you think she got when she saw you coming home late?! Do you know how irresponsible that made me look? Letting a fourteen-year-old go out by himself like that, especially when we _knew_ about her visit _and_ its importance?"

Danny's confusion became his anger as he began to feel his temper boil. _So that's why he's angry? That's the problem? _

"What do you have to say for yourself?" John demanded angrily.

"Look, you're blowing this out of proportion! I don't think it'll make a difference if-," Danny began angrily but was cut off abruptly by a stinging pain on his face. He looked up into his guardian's eyes as he realized what had just happened. John's hand was up in the air, as a result of the strike Danny had just received. Danny felt a soft numbing on his left cheek. His heart was racing and his stomach churned. Then, without even thinking, he blindly raced to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

* * *


	11. Danny's Past

**It's here!! It's _finally_ here! The chapter of secrets! Drum roll please! heehee :D**

**I really hope you guys like this one; it's a bit longer than the others, but it's one of the most important. I'm sooo excited to post it!! :DD**

**Anyways, I'm_ really_ sorry I took so long to update this time; I still have writer's block and such. Hopefully this chappie will make up for the wait!**

**Thanks to: DP fan, ShatterMyMuse, DannyTimmygirl327, blondecrazything, Majestic Moon, MutantLover09, goth.one, Kisho16, dragon of spirits, Anime Wildfire and GothicChevy for reviewing! It means a lot! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_I can't believe he did that. I can't believe he actually **hit** me. He's **never** done that before._

Danny sat on his bed, his arms wrapped around his knees. His chin rested in the space in between. _That's not John out there. I don't know who that guy is, but I know it's not John._

The boy groaned hopelessly. Things were just getting worse and worse for him. But even in his temporary anger and hatred towards John, Danny couldn't help but wonder about his guardian's words.

_Is that really possible? Have I actually messed up my chances to live here? Am I really going to have to go to some orphanage or something?_

He let out a grunt of despair as he let his head fall onto his knees. _I should've just come home early like I was supposed to…it's just that…Sam…_

Danny's thoughts wandered off to the girl. He wished she were there so he could talk to her. His guardian probably wasn't going to let him out of the house anytime soon, so the chances of meeting up with her again were minimal. If only he'd thought of taking her phone number…but then again, what would he tell her? 'Hi! I've never really told you this before, but I'm actually being audited about my guardian's right of custody, and I think I might be forced to leave my home!'

Danny sighed. _I'm such an idiot…I can't believe this is happening to me…I can't believe John hit me! _He thought desperately.

Just then, Danny's door creaked open and Judy stepped in the room. "Danny?" she asked tentatively.

"Come in," the boy grunted.

Judy entered the room and took a seat at the edge of the bed near Danny. "Danny, we need to talk…"

Danny remained silent. He felt as though if he tried to talk, he would just burst into tears. When Judy realized he wouldn't reply, she resumed speech.

"Sweetheart, there's a lot of stuff you don't know," she sighed as she closed her eyes, rubbing her temples with one hand. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Yeah whatever. How many times do you think I've heard that before Judy?" he asked coldly.

"Let me finish, hun. There's a lot of stuff you don't know…that you should know. We can't keep these secrets hidden from you forever, Danny…and I think it's time someone fills you in."

Danny wrinkled his eyebrows lightly, believing he'd misheard Judy. "What?"

"I really wanted John to be the one to tell you, but right now he's being as stubborn as a mule and I think you've already waited long enough to know. You don't deserve to be kept in ignorance," Judy continued.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked.

"I'm going to tell you about your past," the woman finished confidently, confirming the teen's doubts.

The boy's face broke into a large grin. "Wait…so…you're really going to tell me? This isn't a joke?" he asked, shocked, though still smiling.

"I'm a hundred percent serious- and so is everything I'm about to tell you. I need you to be ready to listen. You're past isn't exactly a…well-, a pleasant one…you're different than others Danny," Judy said solemnly.

Danny was only slightly alarmed at hearing this. He'd always known he was different; it had been especially clear to him in these past few months. But as eager as he was to learn more about himself, he couldn't help but feel somewhat apprehensive, intimated even, when Judy confirmed he had a dismal past.

"And John's okay with this?" Danny's eyebrow arched.

"Honey, that's not what's important. This isn't about waiting for John to be ready to tell you. It's about waiting for _you_ to be ready to hear it. And if I'm not mistaken…you've been ready for quite some time now?" Judy said with a tiny knowing smile.

Danny nodded eagerly.

"Good." Judy then scratched the back of her head in nervousness, "It's actually a bit complicated…I'm not sure where to begin."

Danny looked at her pleadingly.

She sighed. "Alright…well, it happened almost thirteen years ago. You were just under two years old. At the time, John and I lived in a town called Amity Park. We were roommates during our years of University. Anyways, that's not the important part. The thing you should know about Amity Park is…well, I don't know if you remember, but it was often being attacked."

"Wait, what do you mean 'you don't know if I remember'? Did I used to live there too?" Danny asked, cutting Judy off.

"Well, from what we know, yes. At least, that's where we found you anyway. But I haven't gotten to that yet. The point is, Amity is notorious for its numerous ghost attacks-,"

Judy was interrupted once more by an over-excited Danny. "Whoa, wait a sec! Did you just say ghost attacks? As in, Amity was attacked by actual ghosts?!" he asked incredulously.

"Oh, that's right," Judy smiled slightly, "I didn't realize this whole ghost thing would be a new concept for you. It's true Danny. These ghosts all came from a place called the Ghost Zone, which we believed could be accessed through a portal. The problem is, we never found that portal so we could destroy it," Judy finished somberly.

"So the Ghost Zone was basically some type of alternate universe?" Danny asked, trying to make sure he fully comprehended what Judy was telling him.

"That's right. What would happen is that the ghosts would escape from their world through this portal, or these portals, assuming there was more than one, and somehow end up in our world. Of course, once they were out, they would wreak havoc on the first thing in sight: Amity." Judy paused before continuing, "I don't expect you to believe me Danny. I know it all sounds very far-fetched, but-,"

"No, Judy. I do believe you…" Danny trailed off, losing himself in thought. _I don't know why I do, and I know it sounds like the silliest thing in the world, but I have a feeling it's true. Ghosts really do exist…I don't know how, I just know they do. _

_  
_"Oh, ok," Judy said, somewhat startled at the news, though still glad seeing as this would greatly simplify her job of explaining. "Well anyways, as I was saying, these ghosts would escape through a portal. There were many of them: the Lunch-Lady, Skulker, Technus. Eventually, the surprise attacks became too much to handle and the mayor issued a security system. We placed small detectors all over town. That way, when a ghost would escape, the detectors would pick up the scent of ectoplasm and go off, signaling a warning _before _the ghost could do too much damage. It became a law that whoever lived, owned or occupied any building had to place at least two monitors in the area, preferably one indoors and one outdoors. Life was tough, Danny. We were living in constant fear of attacks."

"Yeah, but the alarms made things easier, right? I mean, you didn't need to be worried all the time, because the monitors would alert you of danger," Danny reasoned.

"Well that's what we thought too," Judy sighed.

"The detectors didn't work?"

"Oh no. They worked just fine."

"Then…?" Danny trailed off, confused.

"There was one ghost who was immune to the monitors. Plasmius." Judy said with disgust. "He was the only ghost who could enter, exit and roam about the town without setting off the alarm. Of course, we weren't initially expecting that, so the first time he appeared, without setting off the alarm, it was a real shock."

"Well, the alarms worked for the other ghosts, didn't they?"

"Oh, perfectly. We were always ready to defend ourselves when any other ghost came around. But not with this one. We tried fixing and even replacing the detectors. At some point, we even resorted to creating a monitor that could specifically detect Plasmius' particular ghost scent. But after a few more of his surprise attacks, we realized nothing could stop him. Some people believe it was because he was too strong. Others say he walked among us, disguised as a human, and was therefore impervious to the alarms. But of course, that's impossible…he's a ghost…" Judy mused, now speaking more to herself than to Danny.

"So, why did these ghosts attack your town anyways?" Danny asked, intrigued.

Judy sighed as she once again turned her attention towards Danny. "Well, nobody really knows, Danny. Some may have had reasons; they may have been searching for something. Others may've been doing it just for fun. You never know what's going on in a ghost's mind. But we did know one thing; we knew what Plasmius wanted."

"What?" Danny asked, captivated and enthralled by the story.

"You."

Danny's eyes widened as he looked at Judy disbelievingly. "Mm…m-me?" he managed to stammer hesitatingly.

"Yes Danny. It happened almost 13 years ago. By then, we were already used to Plasmius' surprise attacks. There wasn't much we could do about them; we just had to be prepared and on guard. Anyway, it was evening when it happened." Judy sighed, unable to continue.

"When _what _happened?" Danny whispered cautiously.

"The Attack. The worst one Amity Park has ever known.

"It started off like any other day. I woke up at noon so I could finish a report for my seven o'clock class at the University. John was free that day, but he had already left the apartment so he could get to his part-time job. Anyways, the real action didn't happen till almost six and a half hours later, when John was returning from work, and I was about to leave for class. As usual, the town was quiet in the evening, and no one expected the sudden explosion of noise, accompanied by the appearance of the notorious Plasmius.

"People were screaming and shrieking at the top of their lungs, running away as fast they could. Of course, there was nowhere to run when Plasmius came around. Everywhere was a danger zone. I was still in my apartment at the time, and I obviously didn't leave once I realized what was going on. Through the window, I could see flashes of pink ectoplasmic beams flying everywhere. The furious ghost kept bellowing, ceaselessly, 'Where's the boy? I need that boy! Bring him to me!'"

"Me…" Danny noted, trembling slightly, "He was talking about me then, wasn't he?"

Judy seemed to notice Danny's reaction because she softly said, "Danny, I didn't want to tell you this story to freak you out and I don't want to add any more stress to your life. I wasn't sure how you would react, but I'm starting to think maybe we should leave your past for another day…"

"No," Danny spoke firmly, trying to conceal any look of nervousness or apprehension. "Please Judy. You've already gone this far. You can't stop now. I need to know what happened."

Judy didn't seem to like the idea of continuing too much, but she reluctantly did so. "Alright, if you insist. So anyway, I wasn't actually outside when it happened, but John was. Now, I know you may not think so at the moment, seeing how your angry at him, but I'm sure somewhere deep down in your heart, you can agree that John is a very kind and caring man."

_Yeah, kind, caring and abusive. _Danny thought sarcastically.

"He always stops to help those in need…and that's what he did for you," Judy continued.

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, his tone suddenly moody at the mention of his guardian.

"Well, everyone was screaming and running for their lives. Parents grabbed their children and friends fled off together in flocks, calling each other's names to ensure mutual safety. In the midst of the confusion and disorder, nobody seemed to have noticed a little raven-haired boy, wandering around, aimless and lost. Nobody except John of course." Judy stopped for a few moments, almost for effect.

Danny felt like she was telling a tale of dragons and beasts and mystical lands. _I only wish it was fantasy…_he thought sardonically.

"When he noticed no one was reaching to save you, he figured you must've been somehow gotten lost from your house, and grabbed you by the hand to get you out of harm's way. Right before he could whisk you off though, you were hit by an ectobeam. You fell to the ground, but John picked you up and rushed home. You can only imagine how surprised I was when he brought you in the apartment," Judy tried to laugh to ease the tension, but Danny couldn't be comforted.

"Well, what happened after that?" Danny asked, tentatively. He almost didn't want to know the rest.

"Well, the attack eventually ended. All the occupants of our apartment building took shelter in the basement storage area. There were numerous injuries following the attack, though thankfully nothing a few days in the hospital couldn't fix. Unfortunately, you were one of the injured, thanks to that ectobeam in the stomach. We took you to the hospital, where they told us you had suffered a severe concussion. When you finally came to, almost five hours after the hit, we asked you some questions. Unfortunately, you didn't remember anything but your name and date of birth. The doctors found that very strange…memory loss isn't usually selective. Anyways, John always blamed himself for what happened to you…"

"What? Why? It's not his fault I was hit…" Danny began indignantly.

"Well, you know John. He's the kind of guy who'll blame himself for anything he could've done but didn't do to help someone. He figured if he'd just pushed you out of the way in time, you could've been saved from that nasty hit. Then you could've told us where you came from, and you could've returned to your family. He's always blamed himself for the way your life's turned out. He feels like he's never giving you enough, like he's inadequate and unfit to be your guardian."

"Well, that's not true!" Danny said resentfully. "I mean, I know we don't always get along, and I don't always understand him, but he's still a really good guy!"

_Oh man! I can't believe all the trouble I've put him through all these years. He has to carry so much weight because of me, and I never even knew_. Danny thought, suddenly very angry with himself.

"I know Danny. That's what I told him. That's what everyone told him…but he still wouldn't listen."

Danny sighed before softly asking, "So what happened after?"

"Well, you couldn't remember anything, and the hospital didn't seem to have any records of your birth. We even checked at City Hall. Still nothing. The only thing we could do was search for your family. John put up posters all over town, he put several ads in the newspaper and he even notified the police in case anyone called them to report you as missing. Two months passed, but still no one replied to our frantic ads. We were beginning to wonder if maybe your family had been in the hospital and therefore didn't know about what was going on in the outside world. But there were no records of anyone with a son named Danny in the whole hospital. It was official: we could find no trace of your parents."

Danny looked down at his sheets, suddenly becoming very interested in a thread that was sticking out. He felt his face grow hot as he attempted to gulp back angry tears. _No! I don't believe that! They must be somewhere! They have to be! They were in my dream…in that photograph…or was that just a memory that had made it's way back to haunt me? _

"Is that when John took me in?" Danny asked, his voice strained and his eyes never leaving their place.

"Well…yes. You see, since no one seemed to be responding to our ads, the hospital decided to enter you in the local orphanage. However, John, who had been visiting you in the hospital ever since the attack, was against the decision. Let's just say, the people in charge at the orphanage aren't exactly kind…Then again, since John wasn't your actual legal guardian, he didn't really have a say in the matter. He decided the next best thing he could do would be to adopt you from the orphanage. John had really grown quite fond of you, and he would've hated to see you go somewhere where you wouldn't be taken care of."

"But Judy, he didn't adopt me! That's why we might have to go to court! That's why that lady came over! He didn't adopt me!" Danny urged angrily, confusion and frustration clear in his voice. Angry tears began welling in his eyes.

"I know sweetie. He went to ask permission to adopt you. But they wouldn't let him. They reserve the right to forbid certain people to adopt children."

"Why didn't they let him adopt me?" Danny sniffed, his voice watery. His tone was somewhat calmer now as he wiped the involuntary tears that were rolling down his cheeks.

"Well, they said he was still a student and wouldn't be able to support you the way a couple or family could," Judy noted gently, trying to be considerate to the vulnerable boy. "You wouldn't be able to grow up in a safe, healthy environment. At first, John was devastated. He wouldn't take no for an answer. But eventually, everyone was able to convince him that you really could have a better home if you stayed at the orphanage. John finally agreed, on the condition that he would be allowed to come visit you routinely. The people at the orphanage agreed."

"So then, what? How did I end up with him at the end? Did he steal me or something?" Danny scoffed angrily.

Judy's eyes actually widened. "Well…actually…"

"Are you serious?" an incredulous Danny responded.

"Yes Danny, but with excellent reason. Almost a week after your installment in the orphanage, something strange happened…something dangerous. _That _was the night John and I were talking about a few weeks ago.

"John had just returned from his regular after-work trip to the orphanage. According to counselors, you were really starting to enjoy his visits; they told us you would never stop saying his name when he left and you were always asking when he would return."

_Hm…well I do remember I used to cling to John a lot when I was younger. But I definitely don't remember any orphanage…_

"Anyways, it was a weekend, and we were watching a TV movie. John had just gotten us some soda from the fridge and had sat down…that's when it happened."

Danny looked at Judy apprehensively.

"The doorbell rang. John rose from couch to see who it was. I followed him so I could get myself some ice from the freezer. I'll never forget that moment Danny. The most terrifying moment of our lives…John swung open the door and found before him, none other than Plasmius himself.

"I stood frozen in place. All I remember was John pushing me out of the way, yelling at me to get back and take cover. He blocked the doorway so Plasmius couldn't get in. Then, in a most calm and drawling voice, Plasmius spoke."

Danny held his breath, anxious to hear the rest. A feeling of nervousness swept over him; maybe he really wasn't all that ready to hear about his past. Judy seemed to pause the story for a moment.

_No. I have to know this. I have to understand. The pieces are going to have to come together at some point. _"What did he say Judy?" Danny asked, signaling for her to continue.

"First he laughed, presumably at John's reaction to his appearance. He told us there was no reason to be scared; he was only there for one thing. I remember John bravely telling him that whatever it was he wanted, we didn't have it. He simply laughed at that though. 'I want something you have Jonathan. And I know you have it.'" Judy imitated what the ghost had said.

"I was so afraid when he spoke. I nudged John and told him to just give the ghost what he wanted so he'd leave us alone. John probably wouldn't have listened to me, but I guess my expression was just too terrified and pleading. So he defiantly asked Plasmius what he wanted. That's when he answered, 'Daniel.' John and I were both confused for a moment, until John's eyes widened in shock and realization."

"He wanted me?" Danny shuddered, as if the scene were taking place right before him.

"Yes. But John wouldn't allow it. I remember him bellowing, 'What do you want with Danny? You'd better stay from him, ghost. If you dare lay a hand on that boy, I'-,'. But John was interrupted. The ghost snickered at his threat and pushed him out of the way, entering our apartment. John quickly pushed me behind him for my protection. His heart was beating so fast, I could actually hear it."

"What did Plasmius do?"

"Well, he demanded to know where you were, but John wouldn't break. He absolutely refused to answer the ghost. I even remember the ghost's tone as he answered us saying, 'I see your very protective of this boy Jonathan.' I could barely watch. John was so brave. He asked the ghost what he wanted from you anyway, though I think it was more out of anger than curiosity." Judy stopped.

"What? What happened after?" Danny implored.

"Danny, do you remember that sketch of the flaming-headed man you drew before the wedding?" Judy asked, looking Danny straight in the eye.

It took Danny a moment to recall the doodle, but he remembered the drawing that John and Judy had freaked out over. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, Plasmius has something to do with that. That's why we got so scared when we saw your drawing."

"What do you mean?" Danny said, trying to process the information.

"When John asked Plasmius what he wanted with you, the ghost pointed his finger at a picture of you that was set on the table, and a wisp of silvery mist protruded from his finger. The mist traveled to your picture, engulfed and contoured it. Then, your picture slowly transformed into a young muscular man. He had the same flaming hair, the same grayish cape and the same glowing eyes that you drew awhile ago. When Plasmius made that hologram-esque figure appear, we got scared…we didn't know why, but something about was frightening. Maybe it was the look of pure evil on the figure's face…along with a resemblance to your features."

"What?" Danny asked, skeptical.

"Haven't you noticed Danny? The same eyes, the same smile?"

"I don't understand…" Danny shook his head quickly, as if trying to clear his mind.

"Neither did we. But then Plasmius pointed to the man, and said he needed you for 'this'. We're still not sure what he meant by that. Our guess was that he wanted to turn you into that ghost," Judy said, a little too casually for Danny's liking.

"That's insane! Why would he want to turn me into a ghost?" Danny said, almost hysterically.

"Sweetie, relax. It was just a guess. We're probably wrong," Judy tried to comfort the boy. "Anyways, he asked John to tell him where you were, again. But John wouldn't say. He kept his mouth shut.

"I was so scared…I remember feeling so sure, so certain he was going to blast us, destroy us on the spot. But then he did something very strange…he just looked at us and smiled calmly and said, 'I see you don't give up easily. No matter, I don't need the boy quite yet. You can keep him for now, it will save me the extra trouble. But as the infant ages, near his fifteenth year, you will understand. The ghostly symptoms will begin to appear and his blood will change. That's when I'll need him, and I'll be back.'" Judy recited.

_Wait a minute…That dream I had right before we left to Wisconsin…was Plasmius the guy in it? After all, he had a picture of the same guy Judy's talking about, right? He pulled it out of his cape and said that's why he needed me…Does that mean it wasn't a dream? It was real? Or maybe it was one of those ghost symptoms Judy was talking about!_ Danny contemplated for a few moments whether or not he should tell Judy about the dream he'd had a fortnight ago. But as he began to open his mouth to say something, he stopped, gesturing for Judy to continue.

"That's why we were afraid of your drawing Danny. We thought that was one of the 'symptoms' he was talking about. And then when you later mentioned doing it unconsciously…what if that was like being possessed? Another symptom."

"Well what happens when these symptoms begin to appear?" Danny asked worriedly.

"We don't know. We don't know what it means. All we know is that the ghost said he'd be back when it happened. Plasmius is dangerous Danny. We don't want him to get near you."

_I never knew I was such a burden…_Danny thought, upset about what he was hearing.

"Anyways. That night, John broke into the orphanage and brought you home. He's always regretted breaking in, but he's never regretted the reason. He thought that since only he and I knew about your…well, your fate, we were the best people to protect you. He didn't want any random stranger to take you home without knowing what kind of danger you were in. So he and I packed our things and left town, with you in our hands."

"That's why we're so afraid for you Danny. That's why John is so overprotective. Plasmius is an extremely dangerous ghost. We may have moved away, but it would be like taking candy from a baby for him to track you down. That's why John wants to keep you as hidden as possible. It's because he cares."

"If he cares and loves me so much, why did he hit me?" Danny challenged, suddenly angry again.

"Sweetheart," Judy began with a sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair, "I know that wasn't right of him to do. But it doesn't mean he doesn't love you. It's just that…John's really stressed about this. This is more than just about getting to keep custody of you, this is about protecting you. If some other family were to adopt you, they wouldn't be aware of the danger you're in."

Danny just grunted in response before asking softly, "Judy, do you think I really will be put up for adoption?"

"Let's hope not."

The room was silent for a few moments. Finally, Danny spoke.

"Judy, I have a question. What did Plasmius mean by 'his blood will change?'"

"We don't know, Danny. That's why John wouldn't take you to the hospital that night you got sick."

"I thought it was because he didn't have any birth certificate or health card or any proof that he was my guardian." Danny interrupted.

"Well, yes that too. But he was also worried because of what Plasmius said about your blood change. See, knowing Plasmius, he may've somehow infused the ectobeam he threw at you with something dangerous. John thought if he brought you to the hospital, they would find the substance in your body and put the pieces together. They might figure out you were the boy who'd been kidnapped from the Amity orphanage so many years ago," Judy said before adding light-heartedly, "You did make headlines, you know."

Danny nodded.

"Anyways, this is all just a theory. We don't really know if that's what Plasmius meant," Judy said, noting the look of worry on Danny's face, "But it's as close as we could get to an explanation."

"I don't understand why I don't remember any of this. Not even the orphanage or anything…" Danny said.

"Well sweetie, you were quite young. It's only natural that you don't remember. Anyways, I hope you know that I didn't tell you this to stress you more than you already are. I just thought you should know."

Danny nodded. He was too absorbed in his thoughts to say anything. This was just too much information to take in all at once.

"Sweetie, I just want you to know we both love you and no matter what, we'll always be there."

"Thanks, Judy."

"No problem hun. Do you want to get some rest? You look like you could use some."

Danny nodded and Judy rose from the bed. She gently closed the door and left Danny alone to simmer silently in his thoughts and newly discovered past.

* * *


	12. The Letter

**Finally!! Chapter 12 is up! :DD Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time; you guys are absolutely marvelous!! Also a big glomp to** **the beautiful Cori for using her fabuolous beta skills on this story!**

**Alright, read and enjoy! I order you to, or I will send my angry muses after you! (W****hich isn't really a threat because I don't really have muses :D Nonetheless, I still order you to R&R and enjoy! :))**

* * *

Danny had always been a strong kid. When he was six, he climbed up on the kitchen table and tried to do the splits. Just as he was about to perform his extraordinary gymnastic feat before an imaginary audience, his sock slipped against the smooth surface of the table and he went crashing down to the floor. John came running to the rescue, fearing the worst, but Danny was strong; he didn't cry.

Another time, when Danny was eight, Judy had left the stove on while she went to answer the phone in the living room. Before leaving, she specifically told Danny not to touch the stovetop, as it was very hot. Of course, as any regular child would, Danny took this as the perfect invitation to satisfy his curiosity. He reached his hand all the way up to the stove, and, deciding it couldn't be that hot and that Judy must've been exaggerating, he touched it. He yelped in pain, but even when Judy dropped the phone and ran to the kitchen to see if he was all right, Danny didn't cry; he stayed strong.

Today however, an almost fifteen-year-old Danny's strength was being severely tested. He'd spent the majority of the last few hours in his room, pacing nervously as he mulled over all the new discoveries of his past. His head was swirling and he couldn't focus. He'd never felt weaker, he'd never felt more vulnerable in his life.

_Maybe I'm not really as strong as I thought. I mean, I thought I could handle my past, but_ …Danny's thoughts trailed off for a few moments before he firmly scolded himself. _No. Stop thinking like this. Judy said it herself, didn't she? She said my past is very different, very distressful. I'm not weak. I'm just…well…_Danny gave up with a sigh as he threw himself onto the bed. _Who knew life was so complicated…_

Thoughts spun chaotically in Danny's mind. He tried desperately to put the pieces of his past together, trying to fit the bits into the same puzzle. _I don't understand how this could be happening to me. It seems so surreal. I wish I could just figure out what it all means. What did Plasmius want with me? Why am I so important to him?_

Danny heaved a sigh that seemed to drain all his remaining energy. Then, suddenly, his pool of thoughts seemed to magically assemble for a fraction of a moment as he realized something.

_Wait a minute. These ghostly symptoms Judy was talking about. That must be it. Those must be symptoms of turning into a ghost! I mean, it only makes sense, right? Judy said she and John thought Plasmius wanted me so he could turn me into a ghost. What if he's not going to turn me into a ghost... What if I'm already turning into a ghost on my own? I mean, I threw up green. Isn't that like ectoplasm? And I opened the hotel room door with my hands glowing green. What if those were like powers? And I got really sick after each of those displays of the 'symptoms'. Maybe that means something. Maybe that's all part of turning into a ghost._

Danny seemed almost proud for a moment, like he'd made an amazing discovery, but he then desperately ran his hand through his hair, feeling frustrated once more. _That doesn't make sense though. Humans don't just spontaneously turn into ghosts. And why would this be happening to **me**? Unless Plasmius' ectobeam really was loaded with something dangerous. Maybe the substance in the beam is having some long-term effect on me... _

Danny's head was beginning to hurt from all the different thoughts that were running through his mind. _So that basically means I'm turning into that ghost I drew, right? But that picture was evil; why would I turn evil? _The boy felt horrified and confused. _Should I tell Judy about this? I mean, she and John know that I got sick twice, but they don't know about the door-opening powers and the ectoplasmic vomit. Maybe that's important…maybe I should tell them…_

Danny mulled over this for awhile, but in the end decided against it. _I've caused them enough trouble as it is. Besides, I really doubt it would do any good, it'll just __worry them. I don't think they need anymore stress because of me,_ he decided.

* * *

The next few days were awkward for Danny and John. The two tried to avoid each other as much as possible. Danny only left his room to eat, and only did so when John wasn't in the kitchen.

Deep down, Danny had forgiven John; mostly after hearing how his guardian had helped him in his past. But he just felt too uncomfortable to talk or even look at his guardian after that humiliating smack. Danny was so unaccustomed to that kind of treatment, so he didn't really know how to react; he instinctively felt embarrassed.

John himself seemed friendlier towards Danny, like he was hoping the boy would forgive him without actually having to hear the words 'I'm sorry'. Danny guessed John was a little embarrassed about what he'd done and wanted the situation to pass quickly, with the least possible retrospection on the event. Three days had passed since Julia's visit. Friday had come around and the two were still sticking to the silent treatment.

Danny happened to wake up extra early on Friday. He headed to the kitchen to get some food before John awoke. When Danny passed by his guardian's room however, he found no one there. _Must've gone to get the mail or something,_ he decided.

Danny entered the kitchen and got himself a bowl and some cereal. A few moments later, just as he was pouring some milk in the bowl, he heard the door's handle shake as John entered the apartment, followed by Judy.

_Oh yeah, _Danny remembered. _Judy called and said she'd come over today._

"Hey Judy," he called as he twisted the cap back on the carton, ignoring John's presence.

"Hi sweetie," Judy answered glumly.

Danny stuffed the milk back in the fridge and grabbed a spoon before heading back to his room. On his way out of the kitchen, he felt Judy's hand stop him.

"Honey, do you mind coming with me for a second? John and I need to talk to you."

"Um…I dunno Judy…" Danny said, looking at the woman uneasily. "I' don't really feel comfortable being around John at the mome-."

"I know, Danny. But trust me, you'll want to be sitting there," Judy interrupted solemnly.

"What's the matter?" Danny asked, slightly concerned by Judy's uncharacteristically somber tone of voice.

Danny's heart skipped a beat as Judy said the unexpected words he'd tried to forget to dread. "We just got the letter from the social worker."

* * *

Danny followed Judy nervously to the living room and took a seat on one of the two couches. He watched John fiddle with the large brown envelope in his hands. Despite the fact that Danny had arrived late, he was still very confident that the social worker's inspection had gone well. To him, there was only a twenty-five percent chance that he would be taken to a foster home.

John carefully and wordlessly slipped the papers out of the envelope. For a few moments Danny watched John's eyes scan the papers. With every passing moment of silence, Danny's tension and anxiety rose another notch. His previous confidence had now vanished, and, no longer able to contain himself, he blurted out the first words he'd spoken to John in days, "Well? What is it John? What does it say?"

John seemed a bit surprised by Danny's sudden mini-outburst, but didn't reply. He just gulped, shook his head and continued reading. Finally, after a few more apprehensive moments, he looked up. The whole room held it's breath as John opened his mouth to give the verdict.

"I don't believe it…there's going to be…" he began, whisper-breathing.

"What? There's going to be what?" Judy asked cautiously.

"A trial. A trial to decide who gets to keep custody of Danny," John finished, shaking his head.

"What? What do you mean 'to decide who gets to keep custody of Danny'?" Judy asked, biting her lip.

John sighed heavily. "Apparently we just _barely_ passed the inspection. But it seems that there's some other guy who wants to adopt Danny. The letter says they're considering him, because even though we passed, he'd be a better guardian and can give Danny a better life. It says here it's up to the judge to decide where Danny goes."

Danny's eyes widened. "You mean…I could really…I might have to…" he stammered. His heart raced and he held his breath.

"I'm afraid so…" John nodded solemnly, looking at the floor.

"I don't understand. If we passed, how can they still have the right to adopt Danny?" Judy asked.

"They have the right to do anything justified."

"And how is this justified?" Judy asked, anger beginning to rise in her voice.

"If someone wants to adopt Danny and the association thinks that said person could give Danny a better home, they are allowed to take him away from us."

Danny began to feel light-headed. How was this possible? He'd been so sure they'd passed the inspection, and they had…but now someone else wanted to adopt him?

"But how is that possible…no one really knows about Danny. Who could want to adopt him if they've never seen him?" Judy echoed Danny's thoughts.

John shook his head. "I don't know…" he trailed off, placing the envelope and papers on the table.

Judy picked them up, and after a few moments of skimming, she gasped. "_Vlad Masters_?"

"What?" John asked. "What about him?"

"Vlad Masters! He's the one who wants to adopt Danny!"

"What? Where did you see that?" John demanded.

"It says so right here!" Judy said angrily, pointing to a paragraph on the letter and showing it to John.

"Vlad Masters? Isn't that the guy from the wedding reception? What does he want with me?" Danny asked, finally speaking out among the disorder.

"I don't know…I mean…I don't even know how he knows about you," Judy paused for a moment before looking suspiciously at John, "Unless…"

John stared straight back at Judy for a few moments, completely confused, before he let his head fall into his hands with a muffled sigh.

"Oh no! John! You didn't!" Judy said desperately.

"Ugh! Of course!" John scolded himself as he realized what Judy was leading to. "I introduced Danny to Vlad at the party…What a stupid thing to do!"

"John, I know you can become a real socialite at parties. I know that somehow, even though you don't drink, you can kind of lose your better judgment at big events. But really! Introducing Danny? You didn't hide him for twelve years just so you could go wreck it all in one night!"

"I'm sorry!" John said hopelessly, trying to find a way to defend himself. "I didn't think it would cause a problem! I mean, I figured he might've probably seen Danny at the reception anyways, and since we were in a completely different state, I didn't seem to see the harm in it…"

"I really should've seen this coming!" Judy sighed exasperatedly. "Well, whatever. There's no use getting upset now. You just better find yourself a good lawyer Jonathan, because there is no way any Vlad Masters is taking Danny away from us," Judy said fiercely.

"But…I don't understand," Danny spoke up. "Why does he want me? I mean, it's not like he knows me, or even you…right?" Danny asked the adults.

"I'm pretty positive the first time I met him was at the wedding," John responded.

"I've never met him before either."

"Then what does he want from me…" Danny trailed off. _Well, I do remember he kept glancing at me while he was talking to John. He had this really weird look on his face. He seemed really interested in me…_

"Well, I guess I'd better call my lawyer…Man, I'm gonna have a lot of explaining to do…Stella doesn't know about any of this adoption thing."

"But I don't understand," Danny began, "Don't I get a say? Don't I get to decide where I want to go?"

"Well, that would make sense, but according to these papers, minors aren't allowed to make the final decision concerning their placement. You _are_ allowed to tell the judge where you'd prefer to stay, and he _might _take that into consideration. But ultimately, it's his decision. Unfortunately, you're a minor up until sixteen," Judy said.

"Well, when's the trial anyways?" Danny questioned.

John picked up the papers and skimmed through them. "Well, it says here…" he began, "Oh…"

"What? What's wrong?" Danny asked, concerned that John had so suddenly trailed off.

"Um…I'm really sorry Dan…It says here it's next Friday. The 29th."

For a moment, Danny felt all his spirits plummet as he sunk into the couch with a sigh. He saw Judy's eyes widen in surprise and John's expression of pity_. Of all the rotten luck. Go figure the trial would be on my birthday. With my kind of life, it's almost expected. _

"Oh, Danny, I'm so sorry honey-," Judy started.

Danny shook his head and cut her off. "Don't-don't worry about it," he said, his voice strained and his throat tight. "Look, if you guys don't mind, I think I'll just go, um, to my room, or something," he finished, rising from the couch and leaving for his bedroom.

* * *


	13. To The Court

_Heheheh...please don't run after me with pitchforks and torches? (puppy dog face)_

_Okay, I'm sorry I haven't updated in two months, it's been **really **hectic and I barely had time to sit down and write a decent peice of work. I wanted to get this chapter **just **right, so it took a bit longer, especially since lately, I've been having trouble with writing for some reason. Anyways, I hope you guys will like it! _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

_"Finally!" The evil ghost cackled. "He's finally mine!" A glowing determination illuminated his red eyes. "Winning that trial in court tomorrow will be a cinch! And then…" he trailed off, a smile forming on his face as his mind whirled with all the possibilities of winning the boy, "Then he'll be all mine, and I shall be able to commence my revenge!" _

_H__is grin flickered into a small, tender smile as he pulled out a picture from his cape. He stared lovingly at the brunette in the photo as he whispered, "All mine, my love. And then, should you choose, we can all be a happy family together, just like it was always meant to be."_

* * *

Danny was used to staying up on the eve of his birthday. It was almost like an annual ritual for him. Every year, he would lay wide-eyed in bed, eagerly awaiting the presents and cake that he knew would be greeting him the following day. Every year he would spend hours staring at his ceiling, deciding what wishes he would make when blowing out his candles the next day.

This year however, Danny was staying up for very different reasons, the most prominent, being the trial.

_I don't want Masters to win. I can't let him win…_he thought desperately. _I can't leave all this behind. It's all I've ever known. Judy and John are the only people in the world who care about me. I can't just let someone come and take me away from them. _Danny sighed and lay in silence for a few moments, before suddenly realizing that, depending on the result of the trial, he might never be able to see Sam again either.

Danny groaned as he kicked the covers off himself. _Great…I finally meet someone my own age and now I might never even to get see them again. And the stupid trial thing is happening on my birthday too. Things couldn't get any worse… _

A feeling of indignant anger burned through Danny's stomach. He wanted to jump out his window and run all the way to Sam's house. He wanted to tell her everything, right from the very beginning. He wanted to be able to confide in her and tell her that he needed her as a friend.

Just then, Danny heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he called weakly.

"How come you're still up?" John asked sternly, poking his head in the room. "It's almost midnight. You should really get some rest before tomorrow."

"_You're_ still up…" Danny countered, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know," John sighed, surrendering his previously firm tone and sitting on Danny's bed. "I'm just so worried about tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too…" Danny sighed.

A few moments of silence passed before John spoke again. "Are you gonna be okay, kiddo?" he asked, ruffling Danny's hair.

"Probably not…" Danny answered truthfully.

John smiled sadly. "Well, it's getting late. You better get some sleep for tomorrow."

Danny nodded and pulled the covers over himself.

"Goodnight Danny," John said as he closed the door, leaving Danny to sink into a nightmarish abyss of darkness.

* * *

_The judge held the gavel in his hand and an authoritative look outlined his face. "I have evaluated all the aspects of this case. After assessment of both the defendant and the opponent's arguments, I have come to a decision. The court accords the custody of this minor to Vlad Masters!"_

_The gavel banged against the wooden sound block, sealing Danny's fate. Judy began crying and the rest of the crowd behind her started chattering. John sighed in defeat as he slumped down in his chair. A feeling of unsurpassable fear was mounting in Danny's chest. Suddenly, a cold hand rested upon his shoulder. _

"_Are you ready to go to your new home, __**son**__?" An icy cold cackle emanated from the billionaire behind him; It was too much...the chattering, the __**new**__ father, the crying, the anger and the disappointment in the courtroom was too much for him to handle…_

* * *

Danny awoke with a jerk, bolting upright in bed. _Whoa…_He thought with relief. _It was just a dream._ As he rubbed his eyes to clear his vision, he noticed his hands and palms were cold and clammy. _Okay…I think that was the freakiest nightmare I've ever had…_

Danny tossed and turned around in bed for a few moments before checking his watch. _Whoa, seven-thirty already? The trial's in two hours. I guess I should get up and get ready… _

Danny rose from his bed and headed for the bathroom. As he passed by John's room, he noticed his guardian was still asleep. Deciding he'd let John get up on his own, Danny locked himself in the bathroom and pulled his toothbrush out from the cabinet. He lazily squeezed some toothpaste onto the brush, barely paying attention to what he was doing. He brought the brush up to his mouth but strangely, when he began moving his hand to brush, he noticed the toothbrush was no longer in his hand. Looking down, he saw that it had fallen into the sink. _That's strange, I didn't feel myself drop it…_he thought. _Ah well. _Danny picked up the brush, but he dropped it again, and again, and again. Danny felt confused but just wrote the whole incident off as a lack of sleep. _I'm probably just nervous or tired or something, _he thought as he put his brush back in the cabinet after finally having held his grip on it long enough to actually brush his teeth. _Still, it's gonna be a long day._

* * *

Danny sat in the back passenger seat, nervously looking out the window. He occasionally brought his hands up to smooth out the dress shirt Judy had forced him into wearing. _"The more presentable you are the better our chances of winning, Danny,"_ she'd tried to explain to him. _"You don't want to go in front of the judge looking like you just came out of a train wreck!" _

Danny would have liked to look back and say that the ride to the court was short and silent. Unfortunately, since John wouldn't stop bombarding Danny with instructions, it was just the opposite.

"And of course, you know what to do if the judge asks you to choose where you'd rather live..." John's words interrupted Danny's thoughts for the millionth time. "Are you getting all this Danny? Oh, and don't forget what Stella told you. Never speak unless spoken to, just in case. No sudden outbursts. And maybe you-,"

"John, would you leave him alone?" Judy snapped moodily. "Danny already knows all this; Stella ran him through everything yesterday and I don't think he needs anymore stress right now, okay?"

Danny smiled in thanks at Judy for saying the words he'd been bursting to say for the past fifteen minutes, but she didn't seem to notice. Danny noticed she'd been acting moody and upset since the beginning of the whole trial thing. John seemed to get the message and remained silent for the remainder of the ride.

_Finally, some peace and quiet so I can think,_ Danny thought exasperatedly as he stared out the window. All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind. He wondered about Vlad Masters, about the trial, and about who would get custody of him. He wondered about having to go live in another state with a complete stranger, but most of all, he wondered about Sam. Having made a new friend was probably the most exciting thing that had ever happened to him. The thought of having to leave all that behind him and having to start all over by making new friends in Wisconsin worried him.

_Stop thinking like that! _He scolded himself. _You don't even know that Masters will win custody!_

"Danny? Danny!" A voice snapped him out of his mental argument. "Danny, we're here!"

* * *

"Okay, so our trial is in room number 642 and we've got about half an hour before it starts. Stella said she'd meet us in one of the conference rooms, just so we can go over a couple of things before it starts," John said, fidgeting as he nervously led the way into the building.

Danny entered the building, a great wave of cold fresh air sweeping through him and penetrating through his lungs. He felt somewhat refreshed as he walked through the endless corridor lined with a series of number-labeled rooms, though the feeling quickly dispersed as he reached room 468, the room where Stella was waiting. Danny's stomach wrenched as John opened the door to reveal his lawyer sitting at a table with mounds of books and papers surrounding her.

"Oh, hi everyone," she smiled as she rose from her chair and shook John, Judy's and finally Danny's clammy hand. "Are you feeling alright Daniel?" she asked sympathetically, especially after receiving Danny's limp handshake.

Danny gave a weak smile and tried to answer, but found it impossible and so just nodded. He took a seat at the table next to Judy.

"Okay, well, first thing's first. Let's go over the procedures. Mostly, I'll be the one talking, so you'll just need to answer some questions, John." Stella continued speaking like this for awhile, giving the adults various instructions. Danny eventually stopped listening.

_What a way to spend my birthday. I think John and Judy must've forgotten or something…they haven't said anything all day. Anyways, I'm not officially fifteen until five-thirty, so maybe they're waiting. Then again, they're probably just so overwhelmed and stressed about this trial thing that it completely slipped their minds._

"Judy, you'll be sitting with the spectators, so we'll probably only call on you as a witness. Now Daniel, you'll be sitting at the table with, um…Daniel? Are you okay?" The lady asked diplomatically.

"Um, yeah…Yeah, I'm okay." Danny responded, snapping out of his daze. "I'm sorry Ms. Cullen. What were you saying?"

She sighed as she checked her watch. "Well, there's really no time to go over it now, we should be in the courtroom in the next five minutes, and it's two floors up, so we should get going," she said as she grabbed her papers and books and stuffed them into her briefcase. "Come on everyone, the courtroom is this way."

Danny blindly followed the adults. Hardly noticing where he was going, the boy bumped into many offended-looking people clad in suits and carrying briefcases along the way. Quickly mumbling half-hearted apologies, Danny rushed to keep up with the adults. Just as he was turning a corner to catch up with Stella, Judy and John, he bumped into someone again.

"Hey watch where you're goin-Danny?"

Danny took a moment to stabilize himself before realizing he'd bumped into the very person he'd been thinking about earlier that day: Sam.

"Sam? What are you doing here?" He asked, surprised to see her.

Sam, looking a bit startled herself, answered, "My dad works here and-," a blond-haired man, clad in a navy suit, cut her off.

"Samantha! Come on! We've got to get going! Do you know how many strings I had to pull to get you in court with me today?" he said irritably.

Sam sighed and rolled her eyes. "My dad is so convinced I'm going to be like him when I grow up and become a lawyer, so he brought me to work with him today," she whispered. "Apparently he's got a trial for one of his most important clients. Anyways, what are you doing he-?"

Samantha!" the bellowing voice called again. "What are you doing? Who are you talking to over there? Come here at once!"

Sam rolled her eyes so hard Danny thought she might fall over. "In a second!" she called indignantly. "Anyways, what are you doing here?"

Danny was saved the hassle of having to answer this question thanks to an impatient Mr. Manson who came marching over to haul his protesting daughter away.

"Dad! I was talking to someone!" she said angrily as he dragged her away, completely ignoring Danny's presence.

Danny sighed. _Well at least now I know I might be able to see her after my trial. If there's a chance we run into each other, I can let her know I might not see her again. Then again, I may not have to say anything at all if John wins…_

But Danny too was interrupted by the adults who were accompanying him. "Daniel, come on! We're going to be late!"

* * *

Danny entered the small stuffy courtroom. He and John took a seat at the defendant's table and Judy sat in the spectators' area, trying to find the closest possible seat to the two boys. Danny looked around, studying the surroundings.

Just then, the other party entered the room. From afar, Danny could make out Mr. Masters, accompanied by a tall figure holding a briefcase. As they approached the benches, he noticed it was…_Sam's father?_

_No way! Sam's dad is helping the enemy?_ Danny couldn't help but feel somewhat resentful towards Sam for this, but soon realized that it was a stupid reason to be upset. It wasn't like it was her fault… Nonetheless, that didn't make Danny feel any less indignant towards her father, to whom he already held a certain degree of dislike.

"Mr. Manson," A drawling voice spoke. "I believe you've lost your daughter again."

Danny watched Mr. Manson look around frantically, then roll his eyes and sigh. Throwing his arms up in the air exasperatedly, he hurried out of the courtroom. Moments later, he was dragging in a reluctant Sam. The scene reminded Danny a lot of the one at the Royale hotel pool.

"Samantha!" he heard Sam's father hiss fiercely, "This is not the time to be running amuck! We're in court, and this is a real case! This is serious business so would you please just sit down and not move!"

Danny heard Sam plop down on one of the seats and slump her shoulders angrily, crossing her arms across her chest. She mumbled, "Whatever!"

Danny wondered if he should try to signal his presence to her. Just as he decided against it, Sam looked up in his direction. Seeing him, she gave him an inquisitive look, furrowed her eyebrows and mouthed, "What are you doing in here?"

Before he could even answer, he found Sam was heading toward him."What are you doing here? Why are you sitting at the defendant's table?" she asked, taking a seat next to him.

"Umm…well, this is my case…" he said uneasily.

Sam eyes widened dramatically. "You? You're the kid Masters wants to adopt?"

He nodded bitterly.

She gasped at this confirmation. "What? How come? You're not…well…you're not being," she paused uncomfortably before continuing, "Abused? You're not being abused by your father, are you?"

"What? Why?" Danny asked, clearly not comprehending the connection Sam was trying to make.

"Well, a child can't be forcefully taken away from his parents unless they're neglecting or mistreating him."

"Oh…well, no. I guess not. It's…it's more complicated than that…"

Sam seemed to have noticed Danny's air of resignation because she didn't push the subject any further. He wanted to tell her…he really did. He wanted to tell someone, but…

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the courtroom doors as a plump lady in black robes entered the room. The two attorneys immediately ceased talking to their clients everyone in the room rose in respect as the two guards closed the court doors. Unsure of what to do, Danny also rose, seeing as everyone else was doing so. The lady made her way up to the judge's bench and took a seat, gesturing for everyone else to do the same.

Then, in a very indifferent but even voice, the bailiff standing near the judge's chambers declared, "The case of Vlad Masters versus John Timbers, concerning the custody of Daniel Timbers, will now begin."

* * *

_I was going to do the trial in this chapter too, but I figured you guys had waited long enough :D Can't wait for your reviews!_

_Crystal_


	14. The Trial

__

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You guys' reviews and comments make me all smiley and happy :D

_I hope you all enjoy the ever-awaited chapter: The Trial! (grin) _

_Enjoy and remember, reviews are much appreciated! heheh _

* * *

"Plaintiff, Vlad Masters. Defendant, Jonathan Timbers," the judge stated as she quickly read through the papers in front of her. "Would their respective attorneys please come forward to the bench?"

Danny watched as Mr. Manson and Stella made their way to the judge's bench, his stomach churning from stress.

"Mr. Jeremy Manson, will you please present the court with your opening statement?" The judge asked once the two lawyers were standing before her.

"My pleasure, Your Honor," Mr. Manson began, a smile of determination illuminating his face. "I intend to prove that Jonathan Timbers, client of the defendant's attorney, is indeed unfit to be a guardian to this minor," he pointed at Danny, who squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, "who goes by the name of Daniel Timbers. In suit, I intend to prove that Mr. Vlad Masters, my client, is the perfect choice as this boy's new guardian since he has all the necessary attributes of a good caretaker." Abruptly finishing his statement, Mr. Manson took a seat at the plaintiff's table once more, leaving Stella to stand alone in front of the judge.

Danny gave a small inaudible sigh. On the outside, his expression was indifferent, but on the inside, his stomach was in knots and his heart pounded in fear. _I just want this to be over so I can go home with John and so everything will go back to normal, _he thought desperately. _Why does my life have to be so messed up?_

"Thank you Ms Cullen. Would you please take a seat," the judge said, making Danny realize he had just missed Stella's opening statement. "The court will now call Mr. Manson, attorney of the plaintiff party, to lead the direct examination," the judge continued, her voice even and professional.

As Danny watched Sam's father make his way to the judge's bench once more, a pack of papers in his hands and the same confident smile shining on his face, he caught a glance of Vlad Masters, who he realized had been staring at him with a sort of sly, evil half smile.

_What a creep. There is no way I'm ever going to go live with him, _Danny thought, deciding that he would rather go live on the streets than in Wisconsin with the multi-billionaire.

"Your honor, before I bring my witness to the stand, I would like to bring to the court's attention that the defendant, Jonathan Timbers, has committed a violation of the law."

The judge nodded and gestured for Manson to continue.

"Section thirty-four, subsection twenty-two of the Child Law Act clearly states that any adult over twenty-one old who finds an abandoned child must immediately transport them to an orphanage or some other child shelter. If they wish to adopt the child, they must first fill out the necessary forms and present them at City Hall for an adoption license. Afterwards, _and only afterwards,_ may they take in the child. Mr. Jonathan Timbers has abided by the first part of this law by bringing the baby he'd found to an orphanage. However, he failed to comply with the terms of adoption, and has therefore committed an infraction of the law by stealing the child and running off with him. Any man who commits such an immense violation of the law could never be deemed fit to be a caretaker to such an impressionable young teen. This is primarily why I believe Daniel needs a new guardian."

Danny seethed in his seat. _No it's not, you lying dolt. You don't even care what happens to me, a long as you win your stupid case, _he thought scathingly.

"Now moving on." Sam's father continued speaking for a while, telling the judge that Masters was a rich successful businessman who would be a good influence on Danny, 'unlike the roguish child thief of a guardian' that John was. He even showed a few pictures of Masters' estate, never failing to relentlessly point out the multi-billionaire's wealth and capacity to support Danny's needs.

Danny's hatred for the man grew by the minute. _Now I understand why Sam is always so moody…_

"Now, if Mrs. O'Grady will please make her way to the witness stand?" he asked, gesturing to a young woman in the spectators' area. The lady rose from her seat and made her way to the witness' stand near the judge's bench. After promising to tell the truth, only the truth and nothing but the truth, the red-haired woman looked over to Mr. Manson, waiting for her first question.

"Mrs. O'Grady, is it true that you once left your six year old son with Vlad Masters?

"Yes." Danny was surprised at the monotonously low tone of voice she used. She sounded almost like a man who was trying to impersonate a woman's voice. "While I was away on my two-day vacation, I had no one to turn to but this lovely and handsome young man who so graciously accepted to take care of my boy." The lady's voice was emotionless; she sounded almost hypnotized. Her eyes were bloodshot.

"How did you find his service?"

"Excellent, I came back to find my six-year old son in the best shape ever thanks to my wonderful and amazing neighbor Vlad. Little Andy said he enjoyed every moment at Mr. Master's mansion and that Vlad was very kind to him."

As Danny examined the woman more closely, he noticed that it wasn't her eyes that were red and bloodshot, it was her irises! _She has __**red **__**eyes**? Whoa…that's just weird, _Danny thought.

"Would you recommend him to anyone else?" Sam's father asked.

"Oh yes, I would," the lady said, a little too quickly for Danny's liking.

"Your Honor, I think that this proves that Vlad is in fact a suitable caretaker and that he would be fit to be Daniel's guardian. I rest my case."

_Okay, I'm no lawyer, but I think that was pretty weak. Maybe we have a chance of winning after all, _Danny thought.

The judge nodded before addressing Stella, "Ms. Cullen, would you like to perform a cross-examination?"

"No Your Honor. I would however like to point out Mr. Masters is not a regular certified baby-sitter and that he only took care of this lady's child for two days. Just because he was capable of taking care of a six-year-old for forty-eight hours, that does not mean he will be able to take care of a fifteen-year-old for the rest of his life. Furthermore, a six-year-old, though more physically demanding in terms of clothes, playtime and nourishment, is not more emotionally demanding. As a teenager, Daniel will need someone to understand him emotionally, and just because Mr. Masters can do that for a six-year-old, it doesn't mean he can do that for a teenager. Therefore, I find Mr. Manson's direct examination quite useless, as it only shows that Mr. Masters can do just what Mr. Timbers can, which would be _financially _supporting a child," Stella said, a certain pride underlying her voice.

"Any rebuttals?" the judge asked Mr. Manson.

"Yes, Your Honor. My client and I both realize that a fifteen-year-old is more emotionally demanding than a six-year-old, but that is not the point that we are trying to make. If Mr. Masters can take care of Daniel's materialistic needs, which he can, then that is the important part. We realize that Jonathan can also do this for Daniel, but evidently not with quite as much ease, according to his debts and bills, which I hold in my hand," Mr. Manson finished smugly.

_What? How did he get into John's financial folders? _Danny thought, looking over at John, who seemed to have the same expression on his face, though his was slightly more concerned than Danny's.

"Your Honor, if Ms. Cullen here has finished, I would like to rest my case," he said expectantly.

"Thank you Mr. Manson," the judge said after receiving a nod from Stella, "The court will now call Ms. Cullen, attorney of the defending party, to lead the direct examination," she continued.

"Your Honor, I intend to prove that Jonathan Timbers is not of guilty of violation of section thirty-four, subsection twenty-two of the Child Law Act. Furthermore, I will prove that Mr. Timbers is a suitable caretaker and should thus remain Daniel's guardian.

"Your Honor, the U.S. courts run on common law. This means that, in the event that the judge finds that a certain law does not fully apply in a certain situation, he may use his common sense to decide whether the punishment should be given or not, depending on the particularities of the case. That said, I should point out that Jonathan Timbers has indeed violated section thirty-four, subsection twenty-two of the Child Law Act. However, I personally believe that according to common law, this infraction should be disregarded or at least be diminished in its importance in the eyes of the court. To explain why, I now call witness Judy Carson to the stfand."

Judy, who was sitting behind Danny, rose from her seat, making her way to the witness' stand. She took a seat in the prism-shaped box, rubbing her hands together nervously.

"Ms. Judy Carson, tell us in your own words, what happened on that night when Jonathan took Danny from the orphanage."

_Uh oh…_

"Well," Judy suddenly became very uncomfortable, "I…um…"

_Oh man…this is not good, _Danny thought anxiously. _She can't tell them I was in danger because of a ghost…no one will believe her! _

"Ms. Carson, we're waiting," Mr. Manson smirked, receiving a glare from John.

Judy straightened up a bit and seemed to regain some confidence as she began speaking, telling the court of the story of Danny's past. When she finally came to the night when Plasmius 'visited' their apartment, she paused for a few moments, stumbling on her words. "Um, well, we found out the orphanage was abusing Danny."

_What?!_

"They were hitting him and beating him and everything…he was in a lot of danger, and so John decided to save him. Save, save Danny, that is," she stammered uncomfortably.

_No way, _Danny thought, ignoring the rest of Judy's story. _She's lying? I can't believe she's doing this. For me. _

"So as you can see Your Honor," Stella started speaking again, interrupting Danny's thoughts, "John did no wrong by bringing Danny home, as he was only trying to help a child in need, a child to whom he'd become very attached. Perhaps 'stealing' him from the orphanage was not the best idea. However, it was all done in good heart, with good intentions. I do not believe that the court should punish any man who has done a good deed for the helpless of the society, but rather reward him for his decency and modesty."

"You Honor, I object! That is incorrect!" an irritated Mr. Manson exclaimed, rising from his seat and slamming his fist on the table. "It is an act that is punishable because it brings out a man of bad judgment and poor character. That is not the kind of person we want raising this young impressionable teenager!"

"Well Mr. Manson," Stella responded coldly, a strained smile on her face and a sort of tightness to her voice, "We all make mistakes. The point is that since this was not done with any intention of hurting the child, it should be disregarded as an infraction."

"There are no _mistakes_ in the law, _Ms. Cullen. _Perhaps you should learn that," he replied firmly, arching an eyebrow.

"Well perhaps _you_ should learn to be polite," Stella answered, her smile never leaving her face, though her voice became slightly edgier.

"Why, I nev-," Mr. Manson began crossly, but was cut off by the judge, who looked as though she had never seen such a horrifyingly unprofessional scene in all her career.

"ORDER in the court!" she yelled, her gavel hitting against the wooden sound block.

Mr. Manson stopped speaking and took a seat at his table. As Danny glanced back at him, he caught a glimpse of Sam, who seemed to be trying to slide down as far as possible in her seat in embarrassment.

Stella coughed awkwardly before continuing. "Ahem, yes well…Ms. Carson!" she said, as if only remembering that Judy was still in the witness stand. "How would you identify your role in John and Danny's relationship and daily life?"

"Well I help them cook and clean up and if John ever needs someone to help out, I'm always there."

"Your Honor, permission to speak!" Mr. Manson said frantically.

"Permission granted," the judge replied, a hint of exasperation hidden in her tone.

"The fact that Mr. Timbers can't take care of the child himself and that he needs another to help him do so shows a lack of responsibility and an incapacity to attend to the needs of others."

"Mr. Manson," Stella began with a frustrated huff, "having Judy as a second guardian to Danny shows nothing but responsibility on Mr. Timber's part. It's better to have someone to fall back on in case you don't know what to do at some point then to neglect a child's needs because of one's own ignorance.

"Now, as I was saying, Ms. Carson, does Daniel go to school? Does he have friends? Is he generally happy?"

"Yes, he's a positive and fun kid. He's engaging, and I think that that his personality and his character were built during his years with John, so I think that reflects that John is a good person. He is home-schooled by John-"

"Aha!" Mr. Manson said, rising from his seat once more, "You say that he is home-schooled! How then can he have the joy and pleasure of knowing what it's like to have frien-,"

"Mr. Manson!" the judge said sharply. "Would you _please _stop interrupting!"

Sam's father nodded and returned to his seat.

"Your Honor," Stella began, completely ignoring Jeremy Manson's outburst, "I would like to finish by saying that if you remove Danny from his home, he will be devastated because he has lived his entire life with Jonathan. He loves him as a father, and the removal of his guardian's custody would be a traumatic experience for him."

"We've all had them. He'll have to learn to deal with it eventually," Mr. Manson muttered, receiving a glare from Danny.

Mr. Manson, would you like to cross-examine the witness, even though you sort of already have?" the judge added the last part quietly, earning an appreciative grin from Danny and the three adults on the defending side.

"Yes, Your Honor," he responded, oblivious to the judge's comment. "Ms. Carson, you say that Daniel is home-schooled. This must mean that he has little or no friends. Do you not agree that his installment in a school would be better for him, as he would be better acquainted with society?"

"Actually Mr. Manson, I happen to know he is very good friends with your daughter!" Judy said smugly, arching an eyebrow.

Danny's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. Judy gave him a look that seemed to say, 'We'll talk about this later.' Danny noticed Mr. Manson give his daughter the same look, though a bit more skeptical. John looked simply confused.

"Thank you Ms. Carson," the attorney said quietly, taking a seat and looking somewhat annoyed at being defeated by his own argument.

Judy rose from her seat and happily made her way to the spectators' area. She seemed glad that she had shot down Mr. Manson; Danny decided she wasn't quite too fond of him either.

"Closing statements, please," the judge said once Judy had taken her seat.

Mr. Manson rose. "Your Honor, I'd like to conclude by saying that Vlad Masters should be granted custody of this child because he has the experience, the wealth, the means, the love and the knowledge to take care of a child. He can provide Daniel with the proper facilities that will help him grow into a healthy young man. He can nurture him and support him, both emotionally and materialistically. I would also like to remind the court that whether we run on common law or not, Jonathan Timbers has committed an infraction that cannot, and should not, be forgiven," he finished arrogantly.

"Thank you, I now ask Ms. Cullen to make her closing statement."

"Your Honor, I would like to remind you that we do run on common law, and that even though an infraction has been committed, it was only committed through ignorance and in good heart. I would like to remind you that Jonathan Timbers is the one who nurtured and sheltered this child and turned him into the healthy teenager you see before you today. He has always been there for Daniel, as his witness has proven. Therefore, Mr. Timbers should be granted custody."

"Thank you Ms. Cullen. Before the court makes its decision, we would like to hear Daniel's thoughts on the matter. Where would you rather stay, Danny?"

Danny's stomach churned nervously as he rose from his seat. "Um, I'd like to stay with John…Your Honor…" he swallowed.

"Thank you," the judge smiled sweetly. "The court will now take a short recess while the decision is being made."

After these words, the judge headed to the judge's chambers and the courtroom began chattering. Stella returned to the defendant's table with a triumphant smile.

"Well? Do we have a chance? Do you think we have a chance?" John asked her hurriedly.

"Oh yeah," she said happily. "Their arguments were way too weak. We definitely have a chance." Little did she know that over at the plaintiff's table, Mr. Manson was saying the same thing to his client, who was smiling and constantly glancing at Danny.

_Okay, that guy is seriously starting to creep me out…_

As Danny sighed and slumped in his seat, he felt a hand rest upon his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" a female voice asked him. Turning around, he noticed it was Sam. He also realized for the first time that Mrs. O'Grady had left and only the two parties, Judy and Sam remained. Actually, he caught a glimpse of the plaintiff table and noticed that Vlad had also left the room. _Must be in the washroom, _he thought.

"I'm sorry about my dad…despite being his daughter, I really hope you get what you want," she smiled.

Danny smiled back. "Thanks. Me too."

"The recess has ended!" the bailiff called suddenly, as Mr. Masters quickly reentered the courtroom and took his seat. Sam also returned to the spectators' area. "After careful evaluation of each attorneys' arguments, the court has come to a decision."

The whole room seemed to hold its breath in tension. Danny closed his eyes and took a deep breath, Judy held onto John's hand. Even Sam was on the edge of her seat, her fingers crossed for her friend. Oddly enough though, Masters didn't seem too worried. He was in fact rather relaxed.

The judge smiled in a weird, almost sly way. Her eyes were glittering and they held a reddish tinge to them. Danny noticed that her expression had suddenly become a lot like Mrs. O'Grady's. Then she spoke, her voice oddly lower than before, "The custody of Daniel Timbers is granted to Vlad Masters."

_No, no…NO, this isn't happening. NO! _Danny screamed frantically in his head, fighting the urge to scream it out loud. This _wasn't_ happening. It was a dream, a nightmare like the one from yesterday night. It _had _to be. A feeling of frenzied chaos was wringing at his heart as an icy confusion engulfed his thoughts, numbing his mind and momentarily stunning him. His thoughts became bleary, smearing into one another and forming an incomprehensible mess that blared ceaselessly through his ears. A crushing tightness gripped at his spirit and pulled it into the pit of his stomach.

He had known about this trial for weeks, and yet, he had only just realized the graveness of the situation. He had only just realized that the possibility could and _had _become a reality. He was no longer Daniel Timbers; He was Daniel Masters. A scorching sensation swept over him as he suddenly felt himself being led out of the courtroom by a pair of soft vanilla-scented hands.

"It's going to be okay Danny," Sam's voice whispered into his ear. "It's going to be okay."

But it wasn't going to be okay and he knew it. Nothing was ever going to be okay again.

* * *

Danny sat on the edge of his bed. He stared dazedly at the open suitcase in front of him. He was supposed to be packing his clothes and all his belongings, which admittedly weren't very numerous, but he absolutely refused to do it. He _wasn't_ leaving.

"Danny hon, you really need to get this stuff in your bag." Judy's voice suddenly appeared, her words referring to the mess on Danny's floor. He hadn't noticed her coming in.

"No," he muttered darkly. "I'm not moving anything. I'm not going anywhere, and no one can make me," he said stubbornly.

Hearing a sigh coming from the doorway, Danny looked up, finding John leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed. "He's coming to get you at two-thirty."

"Well too bad," Danny said heatedly. "I'm not going. This is incredibly unfair and you can't make me go anywhere."

The two adults looked at each other in pity, sighing in unison.

John entered the room and took a seat at Danny's old computer chair. "Look kid, it'll be better this way. Not only because you'll have more freedom and wealth, but because you won't be in danger anymore," he explained softly.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked grudgingly.

"You won't be in danger of Plasmius. Not anymore, you'll be free."

"What makes you say that?" he asked coolly.

"Well, because Plasmius won't know you're with a new guardian. It'll be so much harder, if not impossible, for him to track you down. He'll think you're still with me. The court won't exactly be making headlines with this case; they like to keep this sort of thing private to protect identities. You'll finally be safe. You'll be able to go out and have fun and meet new people."

"I guess. But that doesn't mean I have to like that stupid Masters guy."

Judy gave a tired laugh. "That's okay, hon. We don't like him either."

"I'll try to see if I can get visitation rights or something," John said.

Danny smiled. This was his family. These were the people who cared about him. How would he ever make it without them?

* * *

As Danny sat in front of the television, he started to curse himself for ever having wanted the freedom of the outside world. Yeah, okay, maybe he had wanted it, but not at this expense.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Danny's stomach sank. John gestured for Danny to turn off the television as he made for the door.

"Good afternoon Mr. Timbers." Vlad smirked. "And how are you Ms. Carson?"

Judy pursed her lips and arched an eyebrow at the man before walking off to get Danny's bag.

John sighed uncomfortably, "Come in Mr. Masters. Danny's, ahem, here."

"Yes well, we really must be going Daniel, there's no time to come in for tea. Just tell me where the bags are and I'll have these two servants carry it to the jet."

_Servants? Jet? Oh boy…_

"Um…jet?" John asked.

"Yes, well Wisconsin is quite a few hours from here and I would like to get there before five-thirty, seeing as it's already two-thirty. You know, it's important to me to celebrate young Daniel's first birthday in my custody at _exactly the right moment_," he smiled smugly, speaking the last few words with great emphasis.

Judy, who was dragging the bag to the front door, gasped and dropped it. John's eyes widened.

"Oh my gosh…I'm soo sorry Danny. It completely slipped my mind!" John apologized. Judy also babbled something similar before rushing to wish him a 'Happy Birthday' and give him a hug.

"It's okay guys," Danny said. In truth, Danny himself had forgotten about it being his birthday in the past few hours, seeing as how he was so preoccupied.

"Well, Daniel, shall we go?"

Danny scowled at the man before turning to say good-bye to the two people he loved most in the world.

Judy gave him a hug before whispering, "Sweetie, I'll always love you. I'll miss you. Enjoy your new life and make the most of every opportunity you get."

Danny smiled. "I'll miss you too. Thanks for everything."

Judy smiled.

John ruffled his hair. "Bye kiddo. I'll miss having you around. I'm…um, well I'm really sorry about all this."

"Yes, this is all very touching and all, but I don't think we have the time."

Danny, ignoring the billionaire's presence, gave John an awkward handshake instead of a hug and made for the door.

"Come now Daniel," Vlad smiled, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder. Danny shook it off violently.

_This guy may've won the trial. He may've won custody. But there is no way I'm giving him the satisfaction of thinking that I want to be in his custody, because I don't, _Danny thought determinedly. _I don't care how nice his place is or how many jets he owns, I'm not going to make my stay with him enjoyable. _

* * *

They entered the elevator, Danny still gloomy and grudging.

"So, Daniel," Vlad began, trying to break the ice.

"It's not Daniel, it's Danny," the boy corrected his new guardian abruptly, not bothering to be polite.

"Mhm, well then Danny,"

"Mr. Masters? I'm not really in the mood to talk just right now, okay?" Danny said, frustrated.

"Oh, I see. Alright then, but please boy, don't call me Mr. Masters. It's much too formal."

"Okay fine, I'll just call you Masters, then."

Danny didn't really care that Vlad became somewhat tweaked at this. In fact, it gave him a sort of satisfaction. He'd never really felt like this before. Danny had always been the nice and innocent teen who would hold his tongue when he was angry and keep his feelings and thoughts about others bottled inside. But not now, not anymore. He wasn't going to hold back any longer. He was going to let everyone know how he felt, _especially _this guy.

Brushing off the insult, Vlad replied coolly, "You can call me Father."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding," he scoffed. "Why would I ever call you Father? I couldn't even call John that, and he was more of a father to me then you'll ever be," Danny said, genuine anger filtrating his voice.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to see the red glow to Vlad's eyes nor hear his soft whisper, "Oh you'll be calling me Father soon enough boy. Whether you like it or not."


	15. Off to Wisconsin

_Enjoy and thanks to everyone who reviewed last time!_

* * *

'_Something isn't right…'_ Vlad thought as he walked his new son to the jet they would be taking to Wisconsin. _'He doesn't trust me enough…'_

Vlad stared at the sour teen who walked before him. _'Well, we can't have a resentful, surly teen helping me destroy the world, now can we? Perhaps I should play it cool for some time… I suppose if I laid off the villain image for awhile. Maybe if I play it real safe, he'll open up and let me in. It'll be a piece of cake from there on.'_

A smirk crossed Vlad Masters' face, but he quickly wiped it off, reminding himself that there would be no more of that kind of behaviour until Daniel believed he was a good, trustworthy and caring man.

Then, adjusting his suit and taking a deep breath, he quietly said, "Okay Daniel, watch out, 'cause here comes Mr. Nice Guy."

* * *

Danny stared in awe at the magnificent roaring jet that stood before him. _Oh wow…_

Despite the fact that Danny had promised himself that he wasn't even going to do a double take to any of this rich jerk's stuff, he couldn't help but be amazed at what stood before him.

"You like it?" Vlad asked with a satisfied smile, his tone implying that he had defeated Danny's defiance in some way. "Wait till you see the inside."

At these words, Danny instantly changed his expression from marvel to hatred and disgust. _Gotta stay focused, _he thought determinedly, stepping into the jet_. You can't let him think you're enjoying this._

But even as Danny thought these words, a wave of amazement swept over him. This wasn't just any jet. This was a _king's _jet. There were six rooms inside the small airplane, each one carpeted, curtained and luxuriously furnished. On one side of the plane, there was a master bedroom which led off into a bathroom. The same type of layout was found on the other side of the airplane, but with a smaller bedroom and bathroom. Besides these four rooms, there was also a small hotel suite-type kitchen. Danny decided the last room must've been the game room, for he had never seen so many entertainment machines in his life. A large pinball machine, a television, a virtual reality helmet, many game consoles and cartridges and several small couches and beanbag seats could be found in the room.

_Okay, so I know this guy's a multi-billionaire, but I _did not _expect this, __he thought, his eyebrows raised in surprise._

Then, remembering that Vlad was standing right behind him, Danny quickly wiped the glazed look off his face. Trying to cover up for his previous look of interest, Danny asked nonchalantly, "Aren't there any actual seats in this airplane?"

"Well of course. Follow me," Vlad replied as he led Danny through a few rooms and to the front of the airplane.

Danny followed reluctantly. A few moments later they'd arrived at an arch in the wall that was curtained with heavy, forest green, velvety material. Pushing the curtain to the side, Vlad revealed a few rows of business-class sized plane seats.

"There we are. Airplane seats," Vlad said with a smile, "although I must say I thought you'd have better taste and go for the game room instead of the cabin…"

Danny scowled and pushed through Vlad, making his way up to one of the chairs at the very front of the airplane. He sunk into the plush seat, his arms crossed and his eyes in a straight stare.

"Yes, well…I'll be in the bedroom, then," Vlad declared from behind Danny. "I'm still tired out from yesterday's trip here. We'll be taking off in a minute or so…" he paused for a moment, as if waiting for Danny to give a sign of acknowledgement, or even just to assure Vlad he was still alive. When this did not happen, Vlad resumed speech, "You may use any of the game room's equipment if you wish. Feel free to make yourself at home…after all, this is partly _your_ plane now."

Danny didn't reply, so Vlad just left. When he was finally sure the man had gone, Danny softened his angry glare and propped his chin on his hand, his mind swirling with thoughts. How come Vlad was being so nice? He'd been a bit of a jerk before they'd boarded the private jet, frequently smirking and eyeing Danny in an annoying manner, as though he were a prize he had won instead of a person. But now he was being all friendly and smiley, as if none of this had ever happened.

_Well it's not fooling me. He's probably just trying to get on my good side because he doesn't want to be stuck with a bitter teenager for the rest of his life, _Danny thought resentfully, as he decided that if Vlad hadn't wanted this sort of treatment then he shouldn't have tried to steal Danny away from his home in the first place.

Staring out the window, Danny gave a small sigh. He noticed that the plane had begun moving. The colours of the scenery outside were blurring into one another, and slowly, the plane began to mount into the skies. Danny watched wistfully as his home drew further and further away until finally it became nothing but a lonely, indistinguishable dot in the midst of many large green squares of land.

For a long time, Danny sat there, doing nothing but listen to the jet's engine whistle softly behind him and watch the plane pass through the clouds. He didn't know what it was, but there was something calming about flying in the skies. It gave him a feeling of peace and relaxation.

_Wow, imagine if I could just fly out there, no plane or anything. Just feel the wind on my face and soar in and out of clouds… _

Closing his eyes, Danny pondered this thought for a moment, but he was interrupted by a sudden loud noise, which he realized was his growling stomach. Not having eaten since yesterday, (he was too nervous about the trial to have any food in the morning), Danny was beginning to feel hungry.

He looked at the kitchen longingly from his seat, but quickly reminded himself that he had promised he wasn't going to use or accept any of Vlad's stuff. He tried to hold himself down to his chair but his stomach opposed angrily with a violent spasm and before he knew hat he was doing, he was in the jet's small kitchen. Standing before the open fridge, Danny pulled out a plastic-wrapped sandwich and a bottle of juice from the door and made his way back to his seat.

As he passed by the game room, a sudden thought flitted by his mind. He tried to push it away, but then deciding he'd already killed enough time by sitting around doing nothing, Danny bounced onto the couch, the sandwich and juice in his hands. Grabbing for the remote, Danny turned on the plasma colour television that covered the wall before him.

_It's not like Vlad will ever know_, he thought as he heard a long, loud snore emanate from the man's room.

He flipped through several channels before settling for the mystery channel. Taking a gulp of his juice, Danny sat back and relaxed, careful not to put the volume too loud so Vlad wouldn't wake up.

Sitting in front of the television, Danny let his mind wander. He thought about John, Judy and Sam. He wondered whether they were missing him or not. Giving a small sigh, Danny placed his juice on the table and grabbed his sandwich before sinking deeper into the couch. He was about to take a bite of his sandwich when he heard the sound of footsteps. His heart jumped and with a glance towards the bedroom where Vlad was sleeping, Danny flew to his feet and ran back to the kitchen, re-wrapping his chicken sandwich in plastic-wrap on the way.

_There's no way I'm letting him find me using his stuff, _he panicked. _I can't let him think he's won me over._

He thrust the food into the fridge door and quickly made his way back to the seats at the front of the jet. Looking around and trying urgently to remember where he had been sitting earlier, Danny heard the bathroom faucet go on, then close a moment later. He found his chair and jumped into it, quickly grabbed a magazine from the seat pocket and set it on his now-open tray.

Danny heard Vlad's footsteps coming closer. They stopped for a moment, near the game room, and then drew nearer again. Danny lazily flipped through the magazine's pages as if he'd been doing so for the past hour as his new guardian entered the cabin. He walked over to Danny, a smile on his face.

"So, had a good time while I was asleep?" Vlad asked innocently.

"Yeah, just sat here reading," Danny responded unstably.

"Oh, that's all? You didn't do anything else? You didn't even leave the cabin?"

"No."

"Hm, that's interesting, because I found this open bottle of juice on the table near the television," he said, pulling a bottle from behind his back.

_Aw, crud, crud, crud! _Danny thought as he closed his eyes tightly. _I forgot all about the juice! _

"You know," Vlad chuckled, "I did say it was okay for you to take anything you wanted. I'm not going to punish you or anything."

"Well good," Danny said, thinking quickly, "'cause it wasn't me anyways…" he finished lamely. It sounded even stupider once out of his mouth than it did when he was thinking of it.

"Is that so?" Vlad asked sceptically, placing the juice on Danny's tray. Danny merely scowled at his magazine.

"Mind if I take a seat?" Vlad asked.

"It's your plane," Danny muttered as Vlad took a seat on the chair facing Danny's.

"So, having a good birthday?" Vlad asked.

Danny almost laughed out loud at this. "What do you think?" he said sarcastically, though not quite with the same intensity he'd intended. For some reason, he couldn't help but hold back on Vlad. He was acting so different now…so nice.

"Yes, well, all things considered," he replied in what Danny deemed a sincere voice.

Then, realizing he was going softer on Vlad, Danny gave himself an angry mental kick. He hastily reminded himself that it was Masters who had taken him away from his family and his home and that he couldn't possibly be friendly with a man like that. "Yeah," he scoffed, in a much harsher tone then before, "all things considered being you!" Danny felt satisfied and forgave himself for his previous and short-lived change of heart.

Danny stared out his window for several minutes, wishing the plane would just turn around and fly him back home. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Vlad was watching him intently, a sort of curiosity in his eyes. When Danny realized this, he snapped, "What?"

"You know, Daniel," Vlad began calmly, ignoring Danny's rudeness and bringing his two hands together, as if in deep thought, "there is a reason I adopted you."

"What? The money, the fame and the Packers weren't enough for you? You just had to ruin a kid's life in order to perfect your goals?" Danny asked bitterly.

Vlad gave an uncomfortable laugh as he tried to brush off the insult, "No, actually." He paused for a moment. "Daniel-,"

"Danny," the boy corrected.

"Yes, well then, Danny," he said exasperatedly before changing his tone to one of utmost seriousness, "I have something of very great importance to tell you…Of course, I was hoping to put it off for a while. However, it seems to me as though you could use a little…'pick-me-up', so to say?"

Danny scoffed, "What, I'm going to be getting the big bedroom instead of the guest one?"

Luckily for Vlad, Danny didn't notice the guardian's face twist into a strained grimace.

"Oh, what a funny one you are," he laughed edgily, trying to put a small back on his face. "However, I'm afraid what I have to tell you is of much greater importance, my boy. It's about your parents."

"What?" Danny snapped angrily, the comment having caught him off-guard. "What could you possibly know about my parents?"

Vlad's smile grew into a grin as he watched Danny squirm uneasily in his seat. "The reason I adopted you is because I knew your parents. They were my friends back in high school and college."

Danny cringed inwardly at the way Vlad used the past tense when speaking about his family. He stared at Vlad for a few moments before replying. "Prove it," he said defiantly. "How would I know you're not lying?"

Even though Danny was trying very hard to keep up his bold and rebellious act on the outside, he was squirming with anxiety on the inside. _What if this guy really does have something to do with my parents? _As crazy and made-up as it sounded, Danny couldn't help but notice that Vlad's expression and composure gave him a sort of aura of one who was telling the truth.

"Oh, I have proof," Vlad said casually, as if they were speaking about the weather, "You know, yearbook signatures and trinkets and such. Of course, they're not with me at the moment, but-," he was cut off by Danny.

"I'm not going to believe you until you have proof," Danny said firmly.

Vlad sighed sadly. "Alright Daniel. Do and think as you like. But just know that your parents would have wanted me to take you in," he said, rising from his seat. "I'm going to go and ask the pilot what's going on. It seems we're running behind schedule."

Danny simply stared at Vlad for a few moments, and then, as his mind finally registered that the man was walking away, he called out, "Wait! Wait, what about…", but he trailed off as he realized that his guardian had left the cabin.

_What is wrong with him?_ Danny thought indignantly as he slumped in his seat, crossing his arms. _He tells me he knows my parents and then he just leaves without any further explanation? _

But Danny's anger was soon defeated by his curiosity. What if Vlad really had known his parents? _Maybe he can help me learn more about my past. Maybe it's not a bad thing that he adopted me. I mean if he knew my parents, then maybe… _Danny sighed. _But what are the odds? And how would he have found out about me or about where I was? He might just be lying to get me to like him. Then again, he says he has proof…_

Danny stared out the window for awhile. He watched the clouds drift by as he reviewed the thoughts in his head. Just then, Vlad came walking back into the cabin.

"We're a bit off schedule," he huffed, "we'll be arriving at six instead of four-thirty."

Danny nodded vaguely, not really listening to Vlad. In fact, he barely even noticed it was he who was in the room; otherwise he might have stopped him and demanded to know more about his family. Vlad continued rambling about how they should have arrived by now as he walked off towards the kitchen.

Danny gave a small yawn as he let his eyelids drop slightly. Tired of thinking so hard, he drowsily decided to allow himself just a few moments of sleep…

* * *

When Danny awoke, he was still in his seat in the plane. Checking his watch, he saw that it was five twenty-nine. _Aw man…Almost a half hour until we get there, _he thought sleepily.

Deciding he was thirsty and needed some water, Danny unbuckled his seatbelt and made to get up from his chair, but a rushing pain in his leg caused him to fall back down again.

_Ow! What the…?_ Danny thought as he attempted another rise from his chair, but fell again. The pain was now rushing through his entire body, numbing every part of him. He staggered towards the entrance to the cabin, trying to reach Vlad for help, but he couldn't keep his balance. He reached for the green curtain at the cabin's entry for support, but it ripped as his weight was thrown to the floor. He tried to cry out but his voice seemed to have frozen. His stomach lurched as he tried to make a sound, a movement, anything…but he was stuck.

_What in the world is happening to me?! _he thought frantically. And then, with a last look at his surroundings, his eyes closed and he was plunged into a deep sleep.

* * *

"_Aha!" the ghost cackled. "Finally! He is finally mine! After fifteen years!" He looked down at the boy who lay motionless before him, save for a few sporadic twitches or and winces. _

"_Yes! It's so close I can taste it! Soon the Legend of the Halfa will come true! Of course, I was hoping we'd be in Wisconsin by now…no matter! I just need to keep up this nice guy act, which I seem to be doing well. Soon he'll trust me enough to accept me, and then my plan will finally begin to unfold!" The ghost's laugh seemed to echo into the distance as the plane began to descend._

* * *


	16. Hybrids

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* * *

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**He...hello? *sheepish grin***

**To be honest, I don't really know how to start this off; It's been so incredibly long :O Well, as you've all probably figured, I've been incredibly busy lately. It took me a really long time to sort out this chapter, and it needed to be heavily re-edited several times. I thought about just posting it the way it was, but then I decided it would probably be better to post a great chapter later than a crummy chapter sooner. Anyways, I hope this one was worth the wait ;D I made it a little longer, just so you guys would be happy *girin***

**Here's a little recap in case you've forgotten what's going on:**

**-Vlad won the trial by overshadowing the judge**

**-Vlad decides to put on a nice guy act so Danny will accept him (of course, Danny doesn't).**

**-Vlad and Danny were on their way to Wisconsin. Vlad seems very annoyed to find out (from the pilot) that they'll be getting there after five-thirty (after Danny's exact birthday). **

**-Just a few moments before five-thirty, Danny starts to feel really sick, and eventually passes out.**

**-Then we hear a crazy monologue from Vlad, saying that some legend is finally happening...what could that nutcase be talking about? Read on to find out!**

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

The king sat on a huge golden throne, his purple cloak falling majestically around his form. His expression was angry as he looked at the couple that stood before him.

"_You Fentons have disobeyed the law for the fifteenth time! I've __**personally**__ warned you to stop your ghost-hunting ways too many times." _

"_Your majesty," said the tall blonde man who stood before the king, "We're only trying to protect the kingdom from the gh-,"_

"_Silence!" yelled the king. "Ghosts do not exist! You're both delusional! I cannot have you scaring the residents of my kingdom like this. Are you at all aware of the havoc your 'ghost protection' seminars have wreaked on the inhabitants? You've got them all believing this nonsense!" _

"_But your majesty," the man replied, "This isn't nonsense. People need to know there are supernatural powers in our world. People need to know how to protect themselves."_

"_Stop it! I won't sit here and listen to your impertinence for any longer! Only the magi of my palace have supernatural powers. No one else! You will either stop this ridiculous business of yours or you will be banished from the kingdom."_

"_I'm sorry your majesty," said the dark-haired woman accompanying the man, "But this is our duty and responsibility."_

"_Then you are both banished from the kingdom, effective immediately. Your possessions are to be cleared out from your home and you shall leave by midday. And as punishment for the havoc you've wreaked on my kingdom, a curse shall be placed on your family. Magus!" he called suddenly._

_An old man wearing a long yellow cloak suddenly appeared in the room. "Yes, your majesty?"_

"_Since this couple has refused to obey me, curse their family. Make it so that the fifteenth generation of their family shall have a child, which, on his fifteenth year shall become a ghost," the king declared._

_The couple watched in horror as the magus raised his hands in the air, causing a swirl of green light to form above him._

"_No, your majesty! Please don't do this! Please!" the woman cried as the guards started to drag her and her husband away. _

_And suddenly it was dark, with nothing but the faint sound of distant laughter to be heard._

* * *

Danny stirred at the sound of suitcases being dragged across a hard wooden floor.

"Yes Enrique, just leave the bags there. Drag them on the carpet, would you? I don't want the noise to wake him up," Danny heard Vlad say in a low voice. Peering from under the covers, Danny saw that he was no longer in the airplane, but instead in a large bedroom.

"Will that be all sir?" Enrique asked Vlad.

"Yes, thank you."

Danny watched groggily as Enrique made to leave the room. He raised his head slightly in alarm as his eyes followed the servant out the door- he could've sworn he'd seen Enrique float out of the room instead of walk out…

"Ah, Daniel! I see you've awoken," Vlad interrupted Danny's thoughts. "We were just bringing your bags in the room; I hope we weren't making too much noise."

Danny rubbed his eyes before tiredly replying, "What happened? Did I fall asleep on the jet?" _And what the hell was with that dream?_ he added to himself.

"I believe you…what's the word? 'Passed out?'" Vlad replied in an innocent voice.

Danny grunted indignantly at the swipe at his pride, though he couldn't help but feel angry with himself. _I passed out again? Oh, come on! Why does that keep happening?! _he thought impatiently, upset with himself for being so weak.

"You were still out when we landed," Vlad interrupted Danny's thoughts. "I had to bring you up to the bedroom myself."

Danny cringed inwardly at the thought of Vlad carrying him.

"Are you feeling alright?" Vlad asked, concern lining his voice.

"Yes, I'm fine," Danny answered shortly as he lay back down on the bed.

A few moments of silence passed before Vlad said, "Um, Daniel...I don't really know how to say this...but we need to talk."

Danny smirked. "What, are we breaking up _already_?"

"Such a tortured boy..." the guardian sighed with pity under his breath.

"What did you just say?" Danny snapped angrily.

"Nothing, nothing." Vlad said airily. "Here, why don't you just relax for a little bit. I'll come and check on you later."

Danny tried to restrain himself from showing any curiosity, but he couldn't help but feel that Vlad had wanted to discuss something important, something that might have interested him. "Wait, what did you want to tell me?"

Vlad smiled. It was a gentle smile, yet something about it was slightly triumphant. "Yes, well that can wait. You just rest for now." And with those words, he left he room.

Danny was left alone with his thoughts. Now that he no longer had Vlad as a distraction, his mind flitted back to the dream he'd been having on the plane.

_That was without a doubt the weirdest thing I've ever dreamt. It actually felt real._ He shuddered before deciding, _I'm overreacting. It's just my mind making up stories or something…_

Danny pulled the covers further over himself and snuggled into the warm bed, trying to convince himself it was just a nightmare- nothing more. He pushed the thoughts away, yet somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he wasn't quite persuaded.

* * *

_This place is enormous, _Danny thought as he made his giant canopy bed.

In one corner of the room stood a large, old-fashioned but expensive-looking dresser. An ebony door led to Danny's own private bathroom, which was almost five times the size of his bedroom back at John's. Huge glass windows overlooking a high mountain range were draped in deep red velour. Two large bookshelves stood near the fireplace, crammed with books ranging from non-fictions and autobiographies to novels. On a pinewood desk in the corner was a state-of-the-art computer. There was even a Nintendo Wii stashed under the desk.

Danny finally draped the white blankets over the black sheets and pillows. _Great. Black and white_, he scoffed bitterly. _My very own prison. _

He sighed as he plopped himself on the made bed. _Well it doesn't matter anyways. I mean, there's no way I'm staying here until I'm legal age. _

Suddenly, Danny heard Vlad knock on the door. "Can I come in?" he asked from outside.

He grunted. He didn't really want to talk to Vlad right then, but the guardian seemed to take his groan as a 'yes' and came in anyways.

"Daniel! You haven't unpacked yet?" he seemed surprised.

"I have no intentions of unpacking anything," Danny said curtly, crossing his arms and looking away from Vlad.

"Hm, I see. Don't you think that might make life a little hard?" Vlad asked rhetorically.

"Actually I was thinking it might make life a lot easier. See, I've been thinking about it, and I think you cheated at the trial. I don't know how, but I know as soon as someone figures it out, I'm going straight back to John's."

Vlad gave a tight smile. "I assure you I didn't cheat, Daniel. I was simply the better choice."

"You're lying," Danny said coolly, though he knew he was only lying to himself. "You could never be better than John and Judy."

Of course, Danny knew Vlad was the better choice. He hadn't been illegally keeping a kid in his apartment for almost fifteen years. But for Danny, lying to himself was the only way he could make himself feel better.

"Daniel, I think you need to take a moment and thi-,"

"Be quiet!" Danny yelled suddenly, his temper flaring and his ears reddening. "You cheated! I know it! You did!"

_Of course he didn't cheat!_ Danny mentally kicked himself. He knew that legally speaking, the court made the right choice. Legally speaking, Vlad was a better guardian because he had more money and could take better care of a teenager. But he also knew that John and Judy were the ones who'd cared for him, who'd loved him. He simply didn't understand why the court didn't care about such an important factor.

"I can see your upset, Daniel," Vlad said uncomfortably, "But I really think you should-,"

Danny interrupted his guardian again, "Why do you want me anyways? You met me once. What could that one meeting have possibly done to make you want me as a son?" he said, his voice low and crackly.

"Look Daniel, I didn't want to have bring this up so soon, but I think it'll make both our lives easier. There are," Vlad paused, weighing his words, before continuing, "Several reasons I wanted to adopt you. Firstly, as I have already explained, I knew your parents. The moment I saw you, I knew you were their son- you have the same glowing eyes as your mother." Danny was about to interrupt, but Vlad put his hand up, silencing him. "I know you want proof. I'll prove it to you later, but first…I have to explain something to you."

"Well, I won't listen," Danny said obstinately. "I won't listen to anything you've got to say until you prove you knew my parents."

Vlad sighed but resigned to Danny's condition. "Alright, fine. Come with me," he said as he led Danny out of the room and out to the hallways.

* * *

A few minutes and several floors later, Danny and Vlad were in the mansion's library. It was a dark, giant, circular room with bookcases for walls. A large fireplace stood in one corner.

Vlad led Danny to a corner of the room, where there was a small black chest. He opened it with a key from the chain that was hanging around his neck, and pulled out a yearbook. Vlad motioned for Danny to take a seat on one of the sofas near the fireplace.

"Here it is," he smiled nostalgically as he took a seat next to Danny. "My Casper High yearbook." He opened the blue-green book to a book-marked page. His finger traced down the page until finally it reached a photo of a young auburn-haired woman. "There she is," he sighed. "Maddie Fenton. Your mother, and the most beautiful person on the planet."

Danny ignored the guardian's last comment as he looked at the picture. Vlad was right- he did have the same eyes as her. He read the caption underneath her photo.

_Madeleine Drayson. Class Valedictorian. _

"Wait, Drayson?" Danny asked. "You just said Fenton…"

"Yes, well," Vlad's expression turned hard. "She got married to some fool named Fenton."

"So, I'm Danny Fenton." Danny concluded. **…**

"Well, you were. Now your Daniel Masters."

Danny made a face. He looked at the picture again. There was no denying it- this was definitely his mother. They looked so alike. But something in the back of his mind started to bother him. Hadn't he seen her picture somewhere before…she looked oddly familiar. He stared at the photo for a few more moments and then pushed the thought to the back of his mind as a new thought appeared in his head.

"Well, what about my dad?" he asked suddenly.

Vlad coughed uncomfortably. "I really do need to talk to you now that you've seen your proof," he said as he grabbed the book from Danny's hands and tried to close it.

Danny stared at him, his eyes blazing. "You didn't fulfill your part of the deal. I want to see my dad," he said in a dangerously low voice.

"Oh alright," Vlad rolled his eyes as he flipped through the book. He came to a certain page and then thrust the book in Danny's hands.

_Jack Fenton…So this is my dad… _Danny thought as he looked at the photo. He stared at the photo and the caption underneath it for several moments before, suddenly, something in his mind clicked.

_Wait, Fenton? That's the name from my dream! _

"Is everything alright?" Vlad asked, probably noticing Danny's sudden change of expression.

"Um," Danny said, disconcerted, "Um…yeah. Yeah, here…" He gave Vlad the book.

"Excellent. Now can I please get on with what I need to tell you?"

Danny nodded dazedly.

"Good. Now, this is very important…I need you to listen carefully," Vlad said as he gently tossed the yearbook onto a floor cushion. "As I told you, there was more than one reason I wanted to adopt you…I knew your parents, but I also know a very dark secret about you…"

Danny's dazed expression disappeared almost instantly as his eyes narrowed. "Secret? What do you mean?"

"Well, Daniel…I don't really know how to say this. I mean, I've never had to explain such a concept to anyone before…"

"What?" Danny prompted.

"You're a halfa."

Danny looked at Vlad like he was crazy. "I'm a what, now?"

"A halfa, a hybrid," Vlad continued quickly, "A supernatural being with powers. You're a ghost."

Danny stared at Vlad incomprehensibly for a few moments, before he suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh, man. Are you serious? That's gotta be the most hilarious thing I've ever heard!" he choked on his words.

But Vlad wasn't laughing at all. He kept his eyes locked on Danny, his expression serious.

"Thanks for the laugh, Vlad. I really needed that," Danny chuckled as he started to walk away. Suddenly, he felt Vlad's hand grab his forearm.

"Hey, what's the big idea-," he started indignantly, no longer laughing. He looked into Vlad's eyes, and suddenly realized the room was much darker than before; only a sliver of Vlad's face was illuminated by the light from the fireplace and his eyes glared into Danny's. The look on the guardian's face gave Danny chills down his spine, giving him all the more reason to try to pull away from Vlad.

"Have you been experiencing strange, supernatural-like 'powers', lately?" For a moment, Danny stopped tugging his arm away from Vlad's clutch. Yes, of course he'd been experiencing supernatural-like 'powers', but what did Vlad know about that…?

The corner of Vlad's mouth seemed to twist into a small smile as Danny stopped squirming. "And have you possibly been feeling sick after these displays? Perhaps you've suffered from colds and chills? Maybe you've been 'passing out' more frequently?" Vlad's voice was suggestive.

Danny could do nothing but stare in silence and bewilderment. _How does he know about this? _

"Signs, Daniel," Vlad whispered as he let go of Danny's arm. "All signs. You're becoming a half ghost."

Suddenly, a thought popped into Danny's mind. "The dream!" he said to himself in realization.

Vlad's smile grew wider. "What dream?" he prompted, though his voice gave the notion that he already knew what Danny was talking about.

"I-I had this weird dream before I woke up here." Danny said uneasily, unsure if he should tell Vlad. Vlad encouraged him to go on, so he continued, explaining the nightmarish vision he'd experienced during his unconsciousness.

"Not a single part of what you've just told me was a coincidence, my boy. That king in your dream- he was speaking of you, the 15th generation of the Fenton family. You're the cursed one.

"Because of your ancestors' actions, you were cursed with the development of ghost powers on your fifteenth birthday. All those displays of power were merely preparations for the big day."

"But, my fifteenth birthday was yesterday, and I'm not a ghost right now," Danny countered.

"My dear boy, you must learn to listen. You're a _hybrid. _You're half ghost, half human. You can change to either form at will. Of course, you've just gotten your powers, so you won't be able to transform without a little practice. And if you're willing to accept me both as a guardian and as a father, I'll gladly act as your mentor."

"Well how do you know so much about all this?" Danny asked curiously, a light trace of doubt in is voice.

"Because, my boy," he smiled deviously, "I too, am a halfa."

And suddenly, without any warning, two pink rings of light appeared around Vlad's waist and made their way to either end of his body. As the rings disappeared, Danny saw that Vlad's body had been replaced with a flying figure, glowing with ectoplasmic energy. He wore a red cape, and a dark blue outfit. His black hair was pointed upwards on either side of his face. But what stroke Danny the most was the physical change- Vlad's skin was now a pale blue-greenish tinge, and his pupil-less eyes were a glowing red.

Danny's eyes were wide in shock and he realized he'd almost stopped breathing. Then, within a moment, Vlad had returned to his former, human half.

"That, my boy, is a hybrid," Vlad smiled, though a few moments later, his face became concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Wha-, how did-, that isn't possible…it just doesn't make any sense…" Danny's face was pale from fear, his voice shaky.

"Daniel, you-,"

"No!" Danny interrupted, his voice both scared and angry. "No! You're, you're trying to trick me! You're a magician or something. You're trying to trick me, aren't you? It's not really possible for a human-,"

"Ah! But you've stumbled on the magic words, Daniel," Vlad smiled, all trace of concern gone. "It's not possible for a _human_. I'm a hybrid, and so are you. Technically, we're only _half_-human. So really, anything is possible for us."

"Stop it! Stop it!" Danny yelled. "Stop calling me that! I'm not like you…I'm not like that! Stop!" he said manically.

"Daniel, I know this is shocking for you. But I'm here to help you. I'm the only other one like you in the world. I'm here to help you get through this. The question is, will you accept me?"

"No…No, I have to go. I can't, I can't think right. I need to be alone," He stammered, panicked, before running out of the basement and up to his room.

* * *

_This is perfect, _Vlad thought as he watched the teenager run up the stairs. _He may be running now, but once he comes to his senses, he'll begging for me to help him! _A diabolical smile spread over his face. _I suppose my work here is done for now. Perhaps it's time to go check up on my darling Madeleine, _he smirked as he transformed into his ghost half and flew down to the chambers.

* * *

_No…it's not actually possible. It can't be possible. I'm not really turning into that…_Danny thought frantically as he paced around the bedroom. _Then again,_ he countered his own argument,_ I don't completely understand why this is so shocking to me…I mean, clearly there's something different about me. _

The monologue continued in Danny's head for countless hours. It was starting to get dark out when he finally calmed down. _I suppose it makes sense, after all. I mean, all those times my hands were glowing…and that dream from yesterday…I guess those people in my dream really were my ancestors…_

But Danny's acceptance of the situation brought on the question- was he going to accept Vlad? Vlad had said he was the only other one like Danny…he was the only one who could help him. Was Danny really going to let his pride get in the way of being saved?


End file.
